Torn Ties
by FaithfulWhispers
Summary: With years of constant activity, the turtles have faced many challenges. Now an incident occurs that creates a new challenge. Its aftermath caused tension within their close-knit family. With their family splitting, how will the four brothers, now in their adulthood, come to terms? A future AU. Warning: Contains Graphic violence and blood. *currently under construction*
1. Chapter 1: How It All Started

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! So I decided I wanted to start my next major fic a bit early. This particular one doesn't revolve around any of the current episodes in the show. It takes place in the future when they are a bit older. I've been thinking about this for weeks and the urge to begin just took over. I hope you all enjoy it. Also, I've been working on Back into the City as well, for those of you that follow. Anyways, happy reading! ^.^**

* * *

"Ugh, what happened?" In a groggy voice, Donatello moaned. His head was pounding and lights blinded his eyes as he eased them open. He tried to move his muscles, but found that his limbs were bound. Dread seeped into him as his heart rate skyrocketed.

"Oh look…our pet has woken up. Check its vitals, won't you dear? I can hear the heart monitor going off"

"Yes Ma'am."

Foreign voices accompanied by sounds of clanging echoed in his ears. "Where am I? What's happening?" He asked himself silently. Reaching into his mind, he tried to make sense of his current predicament. The blurriness faded from his eyes as he blinked some water away. Bright lights continued to shine on him, causing his eyes to squint; but, he could tell he was in a lab. People wearing long labs coats shifted from monitor to monitor, completely surrounding him.

His stomach lurched and he felt himself quivering all over. "Oh no…I was just at the junkyard gathering scraps…" Shutting his eyes, his breath escaped his lips. Suddenly, it clicked in his mind. The last thing Donnie recalled was finding a new processor for his laptop and then out of nowhere a sharp pain erupted from his arm. "Tranquilized..." He thought to himself bitterly.

"I should have known better. I got too carried away and let my guard down. Ugh, Raph is going to rub this in my face…wait….my brothers!"

In a sudden fright, Donnie tried to fight the restraints. For a mutant that has trained his body all his life, his strength was far greater than a normal human's. The table creaked in protest as he tugged at the straps with all his might. Then he heard a hushed whisper in his ear, causing him to cease.

"Calm down my pet. We don't want to have to drug you again, do we? We've already sedated you four times…" A whisper of a female's voice echoed in his mind. "wait, _four_ times? How long have I been here?" He mouthed in fear. Sweat started dripping down the side of his naked face.

"…So are you sure you want to proceed to round five? I know what the end result will be, so settle down." In a luring voice, she commanded.

Finally gaining the courage, Donnie looked at the speaker. Against his will, his stomach churned. The woman before him was surrounded by the men in lab coats. She was tall and thin, with piercing green eyes. Her angled face looked exotic as her pale skin glowed from the lights. Her long jet black hair was tied up. Donnie analyzed her with his reddish-brown eyes and in an instant he knew that she was someone to fear. The young lady may look harmless, but from her eyes and the way she stood, he felt scared for his life.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she took a slight step back and raised her hand. With a fluid flick of her wrist, all the men accompanying her dissipated. After the room was cleared except for the two of them, she inched over to his side and stared down at him. He couldn't look away from her eyes; he was too afraid.

"Don't worry; I just want to know about you. I want to find out how you tick." Folding her arms, she explained to him in a smooth rich tone. "My name is Ms. Rook and you my little pet, I've been searching for a while. After the aliens' presence suddenly disappeared, we had the feeling that we would see more extraterrestrials in the future. We've been getting lots of reports of _green men_ being spotted around the city for years. Eventually, we pinpointed the most common location…the place where we found you…" With a smug expression, she leaned down close to him and he could feel her breath on his skin. In a futile attempt, he tried to lean away. Her face lit up with joy at his reaction.

In a sudden motion, Rook stood up straight and pulled something out of her large front pocket. Don's eyes grew wide in fear as he instantly recognized the item in question. Rook's smile widen as she spoke. "We found this little toy on your person...along with other things. I must say, for the amount of turtle themed stuff, I felt like I was in a comic book about super heroes. You are certainly a vain creature. Although from the texts I read in here, I can tell you're pretty young."

Then pausing for a moment, she opened the cell and glanced through it. "You aren't alone…and I can tell you're enamored with a female. At the moment I'm waiting for my best programmer to arrive so I can hand this over to him. I _will _find your accomplices..." Sneering at him, she closed the cell back up and gave a cold laugh.

"Oh no you won't" Donnie thought to himself as he furrowed his brow. She instantly noticed his expression. "Oh what-"

"T-Phone self-destruct!" In one quick breath, Donnie shouted

Within a split second, the cell combusted in her hand, causing her to drop it. "Ow! You little asshole!" she yelped out in pain as she shook her hand. Realizing the phrase that blurted from her lips, she quickly covered them. "Excuse me, that was poor language for a lady like myself."

Waving the smoke away from her face, she regained her composure. Donnie knew he wasn't going to like what was going to happen next. His survival instincts were screaming in his head to move. Using the remaining energy he had, he tugged once more on the straps.

"Nope!" Getting in his face, she spat. Using her hand, she cupped his jaw and made him look her in the eyes. "You know…I've always wanted a pet turtle. How about I play with you a bit? It wasn't very nice breaking the toy I just had, Donnie..."

His face cringed at the sound of his name. Instantly regretting showing any emotion, he saw fire burn in her eyes. "Oh yes, I know your name. I know a lot about you; after all…the cell gave me plenty of your personal info. I just don't know your age." Forming a pouting expression, she then continued "So how old are you anyways, mutant?"

He knew if he didn't respond, things would take a rough turn. Inhaling deeply, he gulped and softly said "Nineteen."

A wicked smile busted onto her face and she backed away slightly. Don's eye caught a swift motion of her arm as it ducked below the table. "Oh you _are young_. Young ones tend to enjoy a little rough housing." In a teasing voice, she said.

Rook's eyes flashed with delight as she whipped out a scalpel and drew it close to his face. Donnie controlled himself from whimpering. "Oh man…why is this happening to me?" easing his eyes shut, he braced himself.

* * *

Running with all of his energy, Raph pushed himself to his limit as he made his way through the dark sewers, followed by Casey.

"Oh man. Oh man. Oh man." He chanted to himself in between labored breaths. "Casey, keep up! This is serious; we need to get to the others!" Throwing his head back, Raph yelled to his friend.

Casey was trying his hardest to not stumble. He was wheezing, as he was not nearly as athletic as the shorter turtle. "I'm trying man. Quit yapping and just keep running. Donnie needs our help!" He retorted.

The two of them were out on a night patrol together. It was a simple night and they were messing around. They noticed that Donnie was rummaging in the junk yard again and the two of them were about to go bother him. Before they could, a black van randomly appeared and took Raph's brother away. Raph jumped down from the building and tried to run after the vehicle as it sped off. He failed and there wasn't a visible license plate on it either.

Within moments they made it to the lair. His brothers and April were sitting in the pit watching television. The sight angered him as the memories of Donnie being taken flashed in his mind.

"Guys, get up!"

At the sound of the sudden commotion, Mikey nearly jumped out of his skin. "Dude, we are at the best part!"

"I don't give a crap! Donnie was taken and we have to go find him." In anger, Raph cut the air with his arm.

Without moment's hesitation, his siblings all got to their feet. Leo's eyes burned as he met his brother's eyes. "What happened to Donnie?"

"I don't know. He was in the junk yard and some black van hauled him off. I lost its trail and there wasn't a plate on it."

Hearing the awful news, Leo buried his face in his hands. After everything, from alien invasions to mutants and Shredder, it was only a matter of time before humans did something to them. "Okay gang, we need to head to the surface and see if we can find any clues…Raph, lead us to where you last saw it."

Following Leo's order, Raph picked up his feet and darted out of the lair with everyone else trailing behind.

* * *

Donnie kept his eyes shut as he anticipated the worst. He could feel Rook's breath on his skin, causing it to crawl. His heart felt like it was going to break free of his plastron as he listened to the monitor beep like crazy.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

The sounds drowned out his shallow breathing. Any moment, she could kill him.

"Don't be so afraid. I'm not going to kill you. Didn't I say earlier that I just wanted to see how you tick?" In a light comforting voice, she asked him.

Opening his eye just a crack, he saw that she had the scalpel close to his face still. With a gulp, he slightly dipped his head to respond. "You mean, you plan on dissecting me." In fear, the thought crept through his mind.

"However, I still plan to punish you for breaking my new toy and hurting my hand. I have delicate skin, you know."

Her eyes trailed every detail on him and the smile faded into an unreadable expression. Coldness grasped her eyes, causing Donnie to shiver. He knew what was about to happen.

Finally her eyes landed on his hand that was close to her. Scooting down towards it, she brought the instrument right up to his skin. He sucked in a breath as the sharp tip of it rested on his first finger. "We analyzed your DNA. You contain both Human and Turtle inside of you. Also, we did an ultrasound and found that underneath your shell you contain every organ a human has." In soft voice she whispered; her expression still blank.

"However, your hands are pretty unique. Let me see where all your arteries are…"

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this first installment. It looks like Don is in a lot of trouble. This fic will be a bit darker than my others, so it will be a good learning experience for me. Another thing I wanted to try, was telling the story from different view points. As for the OC, I was inspired by Agent Bishop from past series. Her name "Rook" comes from the chess piece that ranks higher than a Bishop. I thank you all for taking the time to read this. Feel free to leave any comments or PM me. All feed back is appreciated and it helps me grow as a writer. I can't thank you all enough and I'll try to get the next installment out as soon as I can.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Strain

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I decided to release the second installment a bit earlier than I originally planned. I've just been typing away in between doing school work and other things that call to my attention. Compared to my first ever fanfic, I feel like my writing has improved greatly and I want to thank all of my readers and followers for supporting me so far. Anyways, I'll let y'all get reading. Enjoy ^.^  
**

* * *

The sun crept up the horizon, chasing the night away. Orange streaks lined the sky and light shone through the cracks between the buildings. Standing a dark alleyway, Raph and his siblings stared out into the street.

"This is where I lost them." Pointing a finger out towards the intersection, Raph said gruffly. "I was turning the corner of this building and then it was nothing. I assumed they went that way from the tire marks." Then trailing his eyes down, he pointed towards the skid marks turning left. His voice was heavy with guilt.

People began to spill out into the street, making the turtles crowd in the shadows. "The sun is rising, so don't wander out into the open." Leo ordered in a hushed tone.

April wasn't going to have it. Shrugging off his order, she grabbed Casey by his jacket and pulled him along. "Well Casey and I can try and find clues, since we are humans. Why don't you all follow from above?" Her blue eyes burned with determination.

They all gave slight huffs in agreement and climbed upwards. Raph skillfully leaped onto each fire escape level. His anger towards his brother's captors boiled inside him as the scenes played over and over in his mind. Each replay made him even more bent on making the humans who took his little brother pay. "He better be in the same shape they found him in or they'll regret it!"

Standing alongside Leo, his attention snapped back into focus. Revenge would have to wait until they could actually locate where they took him. Raph folded his arms across his plastron and leaned forward to watch the two below.

* * *

Failing to keep steady, Donnie's muscles quivered in shock. As Rook put pressure behind the blade, she gracefully made one quick swipe down his finger. The pain shot up his arm, causing him to instantly jerk his fingers into a fist. He refused to make a sound.

Her eyes glowed with malice at his attempt to defy her and in retaliation she made a swift cut across his cheek. This time, he gasped out at the sudden strike. His red blood continued to spill from his large finger, creating a pool under his hand. The same could be said about his face, as it began to ooze down the side of it; the scarlet red substance warmed his cheek.

"Hmm, you're warm blooded. How interesting." She said coyly as she rubbed her chin with her free hand. Using the eyes of scientist, she studied his facials and decided that she didn't get enough data.

Once more, she lifted the scalpel and placed it on the top of his hand. "I punish those who defy me, you know. You my little pet, continue to do so." Rook's lips crept into a smile as her voice lowered. "Be thankful I'm giving you special treatment. Now, shall I put a tag on you?"

Without warning, she took the instrument and dug strokes into his already bloody hand. He tried to bare it, but his own throat disobeyed him. As she made each line in his hand, his voice screamed out, tearing his vocal cords. Soon her own hands were covered in his sticky blood and she showed no signs of ceasing.

Donnie could already feel the effects of blood loss. His screams became weaker as his strength was seeping away from him. Eventually, his muscles stopped shaking and he decided to not fight it. "This is nothing…I've been through worse." With a heavy breath, he whispered out in agony.

"Oh really? I would love to hear more about it as I carve into your shell. You've obviously been trained to fight and I want to know so much more about you…my little pet." In a sign song voice, she said as made another carve in his thick green skin. The sounds of his cries felt like music to her ears.

* * *

April's eyes trailed the marking in the road. Casey was further up while looking for any other signs of disturbance. He was also determined to help Donnie, since the two of them became good friends over the last few years.

However, April worried for him. She knew how cruel humans can be towards things that were different. Using her mind, she tried to reach out for his signal, but with no avail. With each careful step, she followed the blackened marks until she was next to the vigilante.

Throwing his arms up in defeat he let out a groan of annoyance. "April, can't you do your weird mind senses to find him?" Scrunching up his face, he rubbed the back of his head.

The question struck a nerve. Throwing her hand in the air, she placed her other one on her hip and angrily replied "I've been trying to do that, Casey! It only works if they are in the area, which obviously he's not." Then she proceeded to rub her temples. "Ugh this is not good." She thought to herself.

Casey backed away from her, afraid of her hot temper. "Okay Red, chill. Let's try and see if we can find any more of the same tire marks in the area."

Silently, she nodded and split away from him in search. Above, she could see her friends' disappointed faces. Her face gave them an expression of sympathy as she turned away to search. Raph decided to follow her lead while his brothers split with Casey.

"Oh Donnie, I hope you're alright…" She whispered to herself.

* * *

The world seemed dark and quiet around Donnie. His focus was dazed and he had no sense of time. His body throbbed and ached, while his mind felt like an abyss. Never in his life, had his mind felt so clear. Easing his eyes open, Don realized that he remained tied down. Only this time, it was pitch dark in the lab.

He tried to move his arms to possibly break free, but his nerves screamed in pain. "Ugh, I'm…too weak…to even…" with no energy left in his system, he failed to speak.

In the darkness, he laid still, listening to his shallow breathing. "What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted to get parts to work on a new invention." He asked himself bitterly. Eventually his thoughts and ever so calculating mind switched back on in his head.

The last thing he recalled before passing out was seeing a lot of his blood splattered all over his captor. His stomach turned at the thought and he had to contain the urge to vomit. "There was blood everywhere…she nicked one of my arteries in my arm…I suppose they stitched me back up." Reasoning to himself, he played the last scene in his mind. With a slight whimper escaping him, he remembered her promise of her digging into his shell, but making sure he'll live through it. The very notion of someone invading his sense of security sickened him; it made him tremble. "I just hope the guys find me soon."

* * *

Night had fallen again once more and the gang failed to find out any more clues about the mysterious black van. With fatigue taking his strong grip on Raph, he felt like he could collapse at any moment. However, he was insistent on his search.

Leo came up behind him and grasped his shoulder strongly. "Raph, we aren't finding anything. We need to head back to the lair and talk to sensei…he's probably worried. We need to rest, because our state of mind becomes unfocused when we are this tired….We will continue our search in a few hours." His was voice heavy in regret and exhaustion.

After hearing Leo's small speech, Raphael tensed his muscles and shrugged off the hand. Rage poured out of him as he turned to face his brother. "No! I'm gonna keep lookin'. Don's out there all alone, Leo. If you want to be a wimp and sleep while that's going on…then fine by me. However, I won't rest till I get some answers!" Cutting the air multiple times with his hands, Raph ranted in a raised voice.

A stern frown formed on the blue masked turtle and he huffed out in annoyance. "Raph, listen to me. We can't do this while we are exhausted, since we aren't getting any results. We will be far more productive with a rested mind and body. Now let's go, that's an order."

"Well, I'm not going to follow it. Go on, _leader_…abandon your teammate, but I won't!" After spitting each word into his brother's face, Raph suddenly climbed a building and ran off. "I'll keep looking no matter what!" gritting his teeth, he thought angrily to himself.

* * *

Leo stood there with his face in a scolding expression. He stared off in the direction his brother darted off to. Then a low groan escaped his throat and he hung his head in disappointment. "Sometimes... there's no reasoning with him."

Then the realization that the others were still there hit him. Turning to face them, he beckoned them to follow. "Come on, lets report to Master Splinter. He's probably worried."

With their heads dipping in agreement, he then lead the way back down into the sewers. Anger and sadness clutched at his stomach. Raph had been wrong about him wanting to abandon Donnie. In fact, he was worried sick. However, seeing his other teammates worn and on the verge of collapsing caused him to make this decision. "I just pray that Raph comes back. Whoever took Donnie might be on the lookout for the rest of us." Somberly, he thought to himself while the image of his younger brother running off flashed in his mind.

The sounds of dripping echoed into his mind, breaking his train of thought. He had to get home as soon as he can. Their father and sister would be standing there worried about them. As they drew closer to the lair, Leo came up with different ways to break the news. None of them seemed that great. "This is going to be so hard to do and I already know I'm gonna chewed out for Raph."

His earlier intuition had been correct as his eyes caught Karai darting into view. All geared up, she looked ready for a fight.

"Where the hell were you? I was about to go out and search for you all. Father is worried sick!" In a venomous tone, Karai's words lashed at his ears. Skidding to a halt, Leo stopped in front of her. His face told her instantly that he had terrible news.

Pressing past her, he motioned with his head for her to come with them; he wanted to talk in the presence of Splinter. "I'll explain to you and father…I'm afraid it's not good." Then biting his lower lip, he added "Donnie's missing."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this installment as well. As you can see the brothers are definitely having a hard time coping and getting along. However, they all care about Donnie a lot and as for the Donnie scenes...I hope you all enjoyed it. That's one of the main reasons why I chose to give this particular work a rating of M. This story is such a different pace than I'm used to and I'm enjoying every second I work on it. Thanks again for reading. Once again, feel free to leave feedback. I appreciate all of the things my readers do ^.^  
**


	3. Chapter 3: The Second Strain

**Author Notes: Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for reading so far. It makes me super happy ^.^ Here's the 3rd chapter. Happy Reading!**

* * *

Standing before his father, Leo looked Splinter in the eyes. His siblings and friends knelt behind him in a perfect row.

Splinter gripped his staff while tensing every muscle he had. Leo could see the fire in his eyes at the news of not just one, but both of his sons missing. "Leonardo, why did you let Raphael go out on his own? I thought you would have learned by now how to keep the teamwork from stumbling. If Donatello has been captured, then I assume the military had a hand in it. Raphael could be next."

Not wavering, Leo stood his ground and accepted every word his father uttered. He knew his sensei was upset, since one of them has been taken. However, he felt slight anger and worry for his brother Raph. "I shouldn't have let him go." without saying a word, he thought to himself.

His father looked passed him. Focusing his eyes on his family, Splinter's face softened just a bit. "You made the right call, though. I can see from your bodies and expressions that you are all exhausted. Rest and then resume within a few hours. I just hope that Raphael returns safely." Turning away, Splinter said with a tiresome tone.

"Hai sensei" The gang replied in unison.

Leo watched his master walk away; the sounds of his tail scraping the floor followed. A heavy breath passed his lips and turned to face everyone else. They had proceeded to ease themselves to their feet.

"Well, you heard him. Let's get some rest before we collapse. I promise that we _will _find Donnie." With an affirming voice, he clenched a fist and brought it close to him.

* * *

"Donnie, where could they have taken ya?"

Raphael pushed his body to the limits as he circled the area where the trail had gone cold. His feet ached and his legs throbbed from the constant movement. It had been a little over forty-eight hours since he had last slept. The bags from his eyes were noticeable from underneath the red mask. Exhaustion was not a good enough excuse to deter him from giving up on his search, however.

"Even if everyone else wimped out, I won't!" Huffing out in anger, Raphael whipped his head towards different angles. He had been searching for hours, with no luck. In his quest to find Donnie's captors, he had trailed all the roads and examined every building that were within range. Even if Raph wasn't as smart as Donnie or as strategic as Leo, he learned from all his experiences that there's always a secret passage.

After pulling a trashcan lid off a can, he threw it against the alley wall. As it slammed against the brick wall, a loud clang echoed into the alley way. Raph flinched from the sharp noise and looked into can. "Nothing!" His emerald green eyes pierced his fists while he turned away in anger. The vision in his eyes blurred as fatigue took over. Rubbing his eyes, he shook it off and continued on.

The scene of his brother getting taken replayed once more in his mind. Clenching his jaw, he punched the wall. Each impact drew a little more skin off his knuckles. Each hit shot a sharp pain through the muscles in his arms. "If I had only picked up the slack, then he wouldn't be gone!" furious thoughts took over his mind as he continued to blame himself.

Once he let out all his anger, he turned and pressed his shell against the wall. An uncomfortable scraping sound filled his ears as he slid down into a sitting position. His knuckles were quaking from the harsh treatment they had received.

"I shouldn't be the only one lookin'. Mikey and Leo are his brothers too." He whispered as he stared at his hands. Blood started dribbling down them. Letting out a sigh, it frustrated him knowing his brothers were resting while Donnie was out there. "Who knows what they could be doin' to him?"

* * *

Feeling a stab in his arm, Donnie flew his eyelids up. His arm instinctively jerked within the restraints as a result. "Ow." He cried out as he turned his head to see what was happening.

"Great…I'm about…to lose more…blood." Between each tired breath, he whispered.

A man wearing protective gear was drawing blood from him. "They probably want samples to test." Easing his eyes shut, Donnie thought to himself. He had lost all sense of time since he had first gained consciousness in the lab. Common sense told him it obviously hadn't been too long. However, every second was too long for him. He regretted waking up, because every time he did, there was something new to be done to him.

Once the needle was pulled out of him, Donnie sucked a breath in relief. "It's only a matter of time before _she_ comes." Feeling dread in the pit of his stomach, he thought to himself. He hated whenever she entered the room. After the incident that involved him getting sliced up, he came to the conclusion that she was crazy and would not stop at anything to get what she wants.

Right on cue, he heard her voice echo in the room. "So how's my little pet turtle doing now? Are you ready to tell me a bit about yourself?"

Donnie refused to look her way. The clacking of her heels drew closer to him. With each step, his breathing became rapid. "Whatever she wants, I'm not going to give her." Keeping his eyes shut, he thought to himself.

Finally, the clacking came to a halt. He could smell her floral perfume seep into his nostrils and her warm breath hitting his skin. She had invaded his personal space, but he refused to budge even a micrometer.

"So Donnie, are you ready to tell me what I want to know?" Rook's sweet voice teased.

Staying silent, he defied her in the only way he could. "No. Either way you're going to dissect me." Feeling disgusted, he quietly thought.

Standing straight up, Rook folded her arms across her chest. She got his message very clearly. Drawing an annoyed sigh, she said "Very well. I can't take any more blood from you right now, else it'll kill you. However, I have a way to stimulate you so that you speak."

He didn't like the sound of that and a chill shot down his spine. Opening his eyes, he looked at her and the expression she gave horrified him. An unspoken order had been given, causing one of the scientists to come up to him and place patches on different parts of his head. Soon, wires were connected to the conductors and he knew where this was leading.

With a fierce grin, Rook leaned up close to him. "So I'll ask this again, are you ready to tell me what I want to know?"

In response, Donnie gathered up as much saliva in his mouth that he could and gave her a toothy grin. Thinking he was going to speak, she inched even closer to him. Suddenly, he spat in her face and let a gruesome laugh. "No, but I'll give you that!"

Grimacing, she wiped the substance off her face and smacked him hard across his cheek. His face stung and he squeezed his eyes shut. The cracked blood crumbled off and the slash he got earlier started to bleed once more.

"You asked for it, mutant!"

Raising her hand, she motioned for the scientist to flick a switch. Sounds of buzzing erupted into the room and Donnie's heart began to violently beat. "Oh n-"

Before he could finish the expression, Donnie's body lurched upwards in pain. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his entire body shook violently. His screams tore from his throat as he felt the voltage jar his skull. Feeling like his brain was going to split in half, his head kept slamming against the metal table. Then within a few seconds, the current ceased.

Struggling to breathe, Donnie laid there in excruciating pain. Every single nerve in his body screamed in agony. Any movement he made caused his body to spasm uncontrollably. Her voice broke the silence. "That was me going easy on you. So are you willing to talk now?"

He had a feeling in his gut that even if he were to talk, there was no way she would ease up on him now. "There's no getting out of this. She's fucking crazy." Out of spite, he wouldn't budge any of the muscles in his face.

She stood there for a moment and watched him. Her eyes burned like fire, but her smile showed the thrill she was receiving from his torture. Deciding that he wasn't going to talk, she lightly stroked his cut on his cheek. "It's disappointing to see an intelligent creature such as yourself submit to something like this. However, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I'm satisfied, my little pet." Her voice showed malice as she wiped away his red blood on her finger.

Once more, she signaled for her assistant to flick the switch and Donnie prepared himself for the ongoing torment.

* * *

Jerking his head upwards, Raphael noticed that morning had come. Realizing he had fallen asleep, he quickly gathered himself to his feet. A slight cry emitted from him once he felt his limbs were stiff from sitting in the same position for hours.

"Crap, I fell asleep." Stretching his arms above his head he muttered out.

Luckily he had fallen asleep in a dark alleyway by a dumpster, so his presence stayed hidden. He had noticed a sharp throbbing pain in his hands as he stretched. Glancing at them, he then shook his head in response. "Figures that I lost my temper. Oh well, this is nothing." He said as he examined the damage. The green skin had been torn of his knuckles and were replaced with dark scabs.

Remembering why he was even out on the surface, he wiped his face and decided to start from square one. Climbing up a fire escape, he made it to the rooftops. With a renewed energy, he hopped building to building, making his way to the junkyard. "That's where it all started, so maybe I can find a trail there."

Once he arrived, he skidded to a halt and felt his anger boil once more. "Finally, they came back out to look for him." Raph bit out.

Making his way down to their level, he finally reached his brothers. Leo noticed him and stomped over to him. "Where have you been all night? You never came home and we were worried!"

"Oh you're worried about me, but not Donnie. The brother that is, ya know actually gone!" Getting into his brother's face, he growled viciously. Then raising a fist, he continued "I spent most of the night trying to find where the van took him!"

Leo struggled to contain his own temper. The last thing he wanted was for Raph to be getting in his face and yelling at him. "Of course I'm worried about Donnie! Raph, did you even consider whoever took him might be looking for the rest of us?" Now bringing his own face closer to his hotheaded brother, he was eye to eye with him. "So that made sensei and I worry about you as well! You are too old to be acting like a child. I'm tired of you always butting heads with me!" With each word, Leo's voice rose a little more until he was screaming in his face.

Finally, Raph had enough and was about to strike "I'll show you a child!"

"Stop!"

In an instant, Mikey grabbed his older brother's hand and dragged him away. "I'm sick of watchin' you both fight! Donnie's in trouble and you two are bein' stupid!" Furrowing his brow, the youngest brother complained.

Raph was caught off guard and after listening to his younger brother. He loosened up and stepped back. "Yeah, but I feel like I'm the only one who cares." He muttered under his breath. His emerald green eyes shone with guilt as the scene rewound in his mind. Agitation bubbled beneath the surface and he hoped that he would find him soon.

"Well, you're not. We are going to be searching again today and maybe we can scrounge up some of the mutants in the city. Someone's got to know something." Leo said in aggressive tone. His facials made it clear that he still wasn't happy with Raph.

"Alright, stop yappin and let's go."

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This has been a great learning experience. I've never written true angst before. In fact, I've put Donnie through a whole lot within just a few chapters. The scenes were quite interesting write and I had fun showing the brothers and their internal conflicts. I can't thank my readers enough for supporting me since I've started here on fanfiction. It's amazing how the ideas I had in mind develop into works of fiction. Feel free to leave reviews or PM me, I appreciate you all so much! **


	4. Chapter 4: The Third Strain

**Author's Notes: Hey Everyone, I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Sadly, I didn't write a fic for the holiday, since I have other fics that need to be worked on, such as this one. However, I hope you all have been enjoying the story so far. I'm sure a few of you have wondered what the chapter names mean. Basically, they are a play on what point the story is at. The fic is only still in it's beginning stages and so far this has been a blast to write. I hope y'all like this. Happy reading!**

* * *

The clock was ticking as Leo and his family searched the city. He knew the longer it took to find answers, the longer Donnie was in the hands of someone else. That notion did not settle well with him. Hours had passed and night was beginning to fall once more.

"Well, it's the third night and we aren't any closer to finding him." In disappointment, Leo said as he hung his head. He had hoped that after resting, fresh ideas would come to his mind. "Think, what would Donnie do?" Rubbing his temples, Leo concentrated as he stared down at the streets below.

April placed a hand on his shell. "We'll find him. I just know it." Her blue eyes twinkled with determination.

Leo brought his hands back down to his sides. "There are tons of mutants in this city and we haven't come across one in days. How is that even possible?"

Casey stepped up and looked down at the streets as well. "I dunno, man. Maybe someone's been gathering up all the mutants?"

Then it all clicked in his mind. Whipping his head towards Casey, he gripped his shoulders and shook him. "Wait, say that again."

Gripping his hands, Casey shoved them off and then rolled his shoulders. After catching his breath, he uttered "Someone might be gathering them up."

A lightbulb finally lit up in his mind and Leo cupped his chin. "Hmmm."

April didn't like the look on his face. "What are you planning?" Placing her hands on her hips, she leaned towards him.

Leo's smile became a confident one. He placed his hands across his plastron as he knelt down to the edge of the roof. His indigo eyes darted to each alleyway in view. "Well April, Casey has a point. We haven't seen one mutant in days. The same amount of time as when Donnie was taken. What if the military has been rounding up every mutant in the city?" As he spoke, his voice shone with excitement and he was starting to conjure a plan.

Cocking an eyebrow, she huffed out and waited for him to finish his explanation.

Taking her silence as a cue to keep speaking, he rubbed the back of his head. "So what if we find just one mutant and use them as bait? If we trail them along enough the mystery van is bound to show up. Once it shows we'll have it lead the way to where Donnie is being held."

"Oh I see…Well, why can't one of you be the bait?" Her voice held skepticism at his plan. She didn't like the idea of involving an innocent mutant into their schemes.

Leo shrugged off her concern and stood up. "Well, if one of us gets taken then there's no hope for the other mutants." Knowing his plan was the best they could come up with, he leaped off. His hand beckoned his two human friends to follow. "Come on, let's go find the others."

* * *

Finally regaining conscious, Donnie saw that he was alone in the dimly lit lab. After he was subjected to torture and continued to defy her, his captor had given up continuing the session. Rook did not want to kill him, as he was useful to her. Deep down, he wished that she had.

All of his strength and energy had been sapped from him. He barely could keep a steady train of thought. Realizing that the table was propped upwards, so that he was no longer lying flat, he used that to his advantage. His reddish-brown eyes scanned the lab around him.

Many tanks of what he recognized as aqueous elements lined the wall across from him. "No doubt, used for experiments. I hope they don't inject me with any of those toxic ones." Spitting out the words, he said with disgust.

To his left, he saw the machine they used to electrocute him. Against his will, his heart rate rapidly rose and he felt his panic level heighten. Shutting his eyes, he stopped himself from going into an anxiety attack. His body and mind remembered clearly what those volts that pulsed into him felt like. "I hope I don't get subjected to that again." In a weak cry, he uttered.

His skin started to feel raw from rubbing up against the restraints. Every fiber in his body ached and there was a list on top of a list of things he could complain about. However, he tried his hardest to stay calm and keep analyzing his surroundings.

There were different monitors lining all sides of the room and many control consoles. One monitor in particular, showed a diagram of his own anatomy and DNA. "They'll probably use that when they go to dig into my shell… I need to get out of here."

His eyes continued to scan the room, but with each passing second his eyes began to droop. Exhaustion crept back into his mind and his thoughts slowed their pace once more. "I can't…stay awake" he thought to himself as he jerked his eyes open. "The guys need…to find me…soon…"

Eventually, he passed out once more. Donnie's strength was absent and he could not fight the fatigue any longer.

* * *

Leo managed to round everyone up and they stood at the edge of the city. After years of venturing out to the surface, they learned where the most mutant activity was.

"Are you sure about this?" Raph's voice asked in a questioning matter. He wasn't entirely convinced that this would work. "We haven't seen a single mutant in days, so what makes ya think sitting here lookin' for one is gonna help Donnie?" Long ago, he stopped questioning all of his brother's decisions, but lately he couldn't bring himself to accept his orders. Not with his brother on the line.

Leo was getting sick of Raph's attitude and scoffed. "Trust me; I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, _Fearless Leader._" Turning away, he grumbled back in response. He had been searching for his brother with no luck and he was growing on edge. As he stood watch, he tensed and then released the muscles in his legs. Impatience began to settle on him as they stood around waiting for a sign of a mutant.

When he was about to open his mouth to complain, Mikey's voice interrupted his train of thought. "Dudes, there's Snakeweed down there!" Hopping in his spot, the younger turtle excitedly exclaim. Pressing past Leo, Raph made his way over to the ledge his little brother was leaning over. "Well, what do ya know? Maybe your plan will work after all."

Before Raph could finish his smug remark, Leo shouted "Come on, let's tail him!"

In an instant the gang followed Leo as they made their way down into the streets. Raph could hear Karai's slight snicker at his annoyance. Brushing it off, he kept his mind focused and narrowed his eyes towards the mutant they trailed. "Don't worry Donnie, we're coming for ya."

* * *

As Leo led the way, he noticed that something was off. Normally Snakeweed would not run in a panic rampage. After fighting him a handful of times, he had a very good grasp on how the weed like mutant behaves.

With a flick of his wrist, he made a silent signal to disperse and hide in the shadows. "Maybe we won't have to corner him after all…He's running from something and it isn't us." Chewing on his bottom lip, Leo thought to himself.

Keeping an eye out for his family, he focused his attention to all possible routes. If his intuition was correct, they could be caught in the line of fire. With great skills, the gang moved swiftly in the shadows waiting for the mystery van to appear.

Leo felt tension in the moment and knew that he could not afford a mistake. "Any moment now we'll see the goons who took Donnie." In hushed voice, he stated.

Darting out of a small intersection, a large black van sped towards Snakeweed. Using a quick reaction, Leo lifted his arm once more. Once he saw that he had everyone's attention, he made another signal to regroup. As the grouped together, they drew closer to the van as it cornered the large mutant.

A man dressed in all black pulled out a large weapon as he leaned out the side window. No sound was made as it was shot, and within seconds they watched the weedy mutant collapse.

Leo heard his little brother gasp at the sight and instead of saying anything, he ignored the sound. They huddled in a dark corner out of sight as they watched the scene unfold. "There definitely isn't a plate on that. Though, I don't understand how we never noticed a vehicle like this driving around the city before…" His eyes narrowed on the van in question as he thought to himself.

Four men hopped out of the vehicle and were dragging chains along with them. Leo watched as the wrapped each one around the green mutant and used their strength to pull it towards the vehicle. Snakeweed was much too large to fit inside the vehicle, so he wondered how they were going to haul him off.

"Guys, stay focused here. We're about to get some answers."

They watched as the lifted the weedy like body up on top of the large black vehicle. The men used the chains to tie him down to the roof of the van. Leo's stomach churned at the sight. "Did they treat Donnie like that?" He whispered. His indigo eyes showed how repulsed he felt.

Once they had finished the job, they hopped back in and sped off. "Don't let them get away, follow them!" In a panicked voice, Leo ordered. Without waiting for any confirmation, he gathered up his energy and sprinted after the black vehicle.

He could hear the heavy pounding of footsteps from his brothers as they ran behind him. Using every ounce of strength he had, he pushed his legs to the limit as they chased down vehicle. It picked up speed, causing it to shrink in their vision. As it pulled up towards the end of the street, it made a wide turn to the left, leaving their sights. "Crap!"

Skidding around the corner, they came to a halt as they watched a large military air craft close its docking ramp. Leo's stomach lurched as he picked up his feet to run towards it. The large grey craft started up its engines and began to move down the empty street. "Oh no!" his face twisted in despair as he watched the plane start lifting up off the ground.

His heels dug into the ground as he tried to pick up his pace. He could hear Raph's screams over the loud whistling that echoed off the vehicle in front of them. Gathering up as much strength as he could, he pushed himself off the ground and leaped into the air. As the plane took off, Leo's hand missed and he failed to grab onto the plane.

Slamming into the hard concrete ground, he felt a surge of pain shoot through his entire body from the impact. Air escaped his lungs as his head jerked upwards. His indigo eyes began to water as he watched the plane suddenly disappear from the sky. "Cloaking device." He silently thought to himself as Raph lifted him up.

Once he gathered to his feet, he brushed himself off. They all tried to talk to him, but their voices were all drowned out by his own thoughts. Easing his eyes shut, he pushed passed them and walked over towards the fresh tire marks in the ground. "That was our chance to find Donnie and we screwed up. Now there's no way to find him tonight…" In a silent rage, he began to lecture himself. "Who knows where they took all the mutants? All we can do now is return home and try again tomorrow…"

A heavy disappointed sigh escaped his lips. Without saying a word, he began to take steps towards the nearest manhole. Before he could turn the corner, Raph grabbed his shoulder and jerked him around.

"Where do ya think you're going! Are ya not going to talk 'bout what just happened?"

Having enough stress on his shell, Leo lifted his head up and gave his brother a scolding look. Raph gripped his shoulder harder, waiting for answers. Something struck within Leo and he couldn't contain his agitation any longer. Lifting his arm, he clenched a fist in his hand and punched his hotheaded brother across the face.

The punch caused him to get go, slightly stumbling back. Raph grabbed his jaw and rubbed it; a slight pop could be heard. "What was that for?" He spat in anger.

"I'm not in the mood Raph. There's nothing more we can do tonight. They're gone, so let's just head back to the lair and try again tomorrow." Turning his shell to his brother, he said in a cold tone as he walked off. Leo didn't exactly know why he struck Raph, nor did he actually care. He had enough of things weighing down on him and he wasn't about to add another thing to the list.

"Even though I screwed up tonight, we'll keep trying. So hang in there Donnie."

* * *

The air was cold inside the laboratory. Bright lights were flicked back on and Don's eyes opened just a crack in response. His green skin had bumps from the chill surrounding him. Finally, his eyes opened fully and he sucked a breath in disgust. Rook stood over him, eyes drilling into his core.

"Ugh, I'm tired. Can't I just be left alone? What could I possibly give you?" Donnie groaned in despair.

Wishing he hadn't spoken, he closed his eyes shut and began to hit his head against the table. His entire body still ached and he felt his stomach lurch in hunger. "When was the last time I've eaten?".

Rook's laughter broke the silence and she drew her face close to his. She had heard his stomach and his question. "Well, someone's hungry. However, depending on how you cooperate this morning, you'll get fed. I just want to know… who are your accomplices and how can I find them?" Whispering in his ear, she coyly teased.

Donnie knew that he was screwed. He refused to answer that question. Knowing that it'll be better if he didn't speak at all, he just laid still. She circled the table that was still in a propped up position. Her eyes shifted to different parts on him, analyzing him.

"I know that you are incredibly intelligent, so why keep beating around the bush? I've come across a lot of mutants and none of them show any signs of the intellect you possess. We can benefit so much from each other, but first you need to cooperate with me." Her voice had a pleading tone in it, but her eyes showed one of a predators.

He didn't buy anything she said. There was nothing he could gain from her, unless more scars counted. His heart beat was rapid, but now that was normal to him. "I just want all this to end. I hope the next thing she does to me, kills me. I can't take much more of this." With water in his eyes, he dreadfully thought to himself.

Rook stood there a few moments and contemplated on how to get him to talk. "Fine, I guess I'll have to give you food after. If we feed you first, you'll just bring it back up. Don't say that I didn't give you a choice my little pet." Her voice held a tired tone and she gave a scientist close by a signal.

Immediately, Donnie was being hooked back up to the machine. "Please, no. No more. I don't know anything...But please, don't do this to me." Raising his voice, he began to pitifully plead. He couldn't bare the electrocution again. All of his instincts were screaming at him that this round would be worst than the last.

Instead of comforting him and listening to him, Rook gave a wicked laugh. Pleasure shone on her face at the sounds of his cries. "This will be a good morning after all."

* * *

Leo sat inside Donnie's lab. He had to be alone for awhile. The need to try and gather his own thoughts pressed on him. Hours had passed since he watched their only chance of finding his little brother fly off.

"What would Donnie do?" He asked himself under his breath. His whole body ached from the night's adventure and the look on his father's face replayed in his mind. "It's my fault. I should have came up with a better plan. Now, he's going to be there for another night and from what I saw, those guys are bad news."

Then he looked up towards the scattered blueprints strung across the table. It was times like this, that Leo wished he had his younger brother's intelligence. Many gadgets lined the room and his eyes flickered to each one. "Maybe there's something in here that could help us?" Walking over towards the back wall, he said to himself.

Not seeing anything that could be of use, he went back over towards the computer and sat down. Noticing that it was still on, Leo sat up and began to fiddle with the keys. Seeing a familiar program on the desktop, another light bulb lit up in his head. "Wait, did Donnie have his T-phone on him?"

After asking himself, he quickly scanned the desk and saw that indeed the phone was absent. "I remember when he showed me how to track the phones...just in case any of us went missing." Slapping his forehead, Leo gave a heavy groan. "Why didn't I recall this earlier? It would have saved us so much time!" Anger built up inside of him at his mistake. Knowing now was not the time to beat himself up over it, he swiftly opened the program.

As each window opened, he recalled the steps to find if the phone's signal. "Okay, he must have made his phone self-destruct...but, when it was last active, it sat there for quite a few hours. So that's probably where they took him."

Taking the coordinates from the last known signal, Leo entered them into the map. "Fifty miles away from the city? Holy cow! Looks like we are going to need to take one of the vehicles to the base." Without a moment's hesitation, he printed out the map and ran out of the lab to find the others.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So now the gang have a real way to find their captured brother. Donnie is pretty much at his breaking point, but he refuses to give in. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I thank you all for reading and taking the time to support me. It really means a lot to me. Feel free to leave reviews or PM me, once again. Thanks all!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: The Final Strain

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone. I know it's been a few days since I updated, but I finally have this chapter finished. I just want to say many thanks to my readers and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Happy Reading!**

* * *

As Leo drove the Party Wagon down the long straight highway, he could feel the uncomfortable silence that filled the vehicle. Since his friends and family hopped inside, no one had uttered a single word. The moment he had found out where Donnie was taken, they all jumped at the chance to go retrieve him. Night still held the sky, but none of them wanted to rest until he was back safely with them.

Leo's mind stayed cleared and focused while he adjusted the amount of pressure he put on the pedals. They still had another forty miles to go, and at the rate they were going, it would take them at least half an hour or more to get to the base.

With each passing second, the tension only seemed to thicken. His hands gripped the steering wheel with determination, causing the skin to turn a few shades lighter. Casey had noticed this, but he kept his mouth shut. Everyone was on edge, and Leo was no exception to this.

As they put the city farther behind them, the highway paved a way through the dense forest ahead. "No doubt that the place would be in an isolated area." Leo thought to himself as he drove the van further in. "They'll regret taking our brother."

* * *

Squeaks rang into the air as a metal cart was pushed up against the table where Donnie laid. He pretended to be unconscious, so that he would be left alone. It was a meager plan; however, he had no other options. Being bound made him very limited on what he could do.

As he listened carefully, the sounds of instruments being set down onto the cart pierced throughout the lab. Rook had promised to take a look inside him, and no doubt she was going to go through with it. "Ugh, I want this all to end. I desperately want this to be a nightmare, but even my nightmares aren't this gruesome." In agonizing thoughts, he told himself in his mind.

One by one, tools were set down next to him. The clacking of heels returned and Donnie's nose caught the scent of flowers. "Please, no…not her…" as he continued to drown in his dread, he tried to keep his composure. His heart ended up betraying him, as he heard the monitor alert that it was beating rapidly. "Stupid emotions, why must you control my vital organs?"

"Oh, you're awake. Good, it'll have to save me the trouble of having to wake you. I have limited time, so every second counts." In a nonchalant voice, Rook said while she put on a pair of surgical gloves.

Donnie let out a groan of protest. "Just. My. Luck."

Then he tilted his head forward and got a good glimpse of her. She had placed safety goggles over her green eyes. He knew that she meant business. All of her sadistic playfulness was absent today. What took its place were the cold seriousness of a scientist. "She's not going to toy around with me today; I'm dreading to see how she is when she's serious… I am so screwed." Trying to contain his tears, Donnie thought to himself with bleak views. Things weren't looking good for him.

When she was all suited up and ready to go, Rook made her way to his side and stared down at him. She pulled a marker out of her pocket and brought it to his plastron. Donnie could smell the pungent scent as she made each tiny stroke into his shell. The odor made him nauseous and he hated every second he was awake.

Once she was satisfied, she returned the marker and signaled for the other scientists. They crowded around the table, and gazed down at him with hateful eyes.

"Do you want me to sedate him, ma'am?" in a monotonous tone, the man standing next to the tools asked.

"No, I want him fully aware for this operation. If any of his senses are dulled, then the data will be worthless." Her voice held no emotion as she lifted up a small saw with a spiral blade.

Gulping, Donnie's muscles all tightened and he felt anguish seep into him. "You sick freak…"

This time, since he knew there was no getting out of this, he might as well get things off his chest. A spirit broken smile spread onto his face and his reddish-brown eyes gleamed with despair. "You all are fucking insane. You like to call me a mutant, freak, abomination…however, the _real monsters_ are all of you. Taking pleasure in mutilating a helpless being…what great scientist you all are. Just kill me already, I'm sick of this." Once he finished his speech, a broken laugh escaped from his throat. His whole body trembled and he felt his sanity slipping.

Pure shock erupted onto the faces of those surrounding him. That was the most Rook heard him say since his capture. The display of his broken sanity was instantly jotted down in her mind for further exploration. Her green eyes stared down at him, as if they were trying to drill into his core; much like her plans with the instrument in her hands.

Without a sound she leaned over him and dipped her head towards the scientist across from her. Within a second, they all pressed down onto his plastron. "Make sure to hold him steady, he's pretty strong, so the restraints won't be enough."

Donnie's eyes widen in fear once he heard the saw kick on. The ear breaking screech echoed in the lab and the heart monitor went haywire. He instantly tensed up all his muscles and clenched his core. Instead of staying silent, pleads escaped from his lips. All sense of security was stripped from him, once she brought the saw down onto him.

* * *

Parking the van a good distance away, Leo looked towards his companions. "Alright, we get in and grab Donnie. If we see any of the others, bust them out too. But, do not make any rash decisions. Donnie's life is on the line here." His indigo eyes burned with authority as he made the order.

Then with a silent agreement, everyone spilled out of the vehicle and weaved their way through the trees. In the distance, the sky had lightened in color in warning of the daylight that was approaching. Leo's eyes stayed locked onto the building they approached.

Tall metal fences with barbs lining the top surrounded the parameter. Each building stood at least five stores with many barred windows lining the walls. Many armored vehicles and black vans parked outside the two large buildings. The plane that took Snakeweed parked right outside the left building. A large opening gaped behind the aircraft and people with white coats went in and out.

"Alright, that's probably the building where Donnie is being held." Leo said in low tone as he peered behind a tree. Then his eyes darted towards the many security cameras that were placed throughout the area. "Man, I wish I knew how to disable those."

Standing up straight, he looked towards the group that remained hidden behind the trees. "Okay, make sure to stay out of sight those cameras. Remember, get in and get out. No stupid moves." As he spoke, he mainly eyed his two younger brothers.

Raph rolled his eyes then cracked his knuckles. Mikey bounced between each foot, ready to go. Then with a fluid flick of his fingers, Leo signaled for the operation to begin. Each one ran up to the fence and Leo along with Mikey hopped it. Raph skidded to a halt and boosted April over. Once she landed on the other side, he then threw Casey over. Karai hopped it with ease, and then Raph followed.

Sticking to the fading shadows the gang made their way over to the opening. Leo felt his determination rise up as he skillfully evaded the cameras' views. Avoiding a few of the workers, they eased their way into the building in search of Donatello.

As the made their way down a dark empty hallway, a familiar screeching sound made it's way into their ears. "That must be the aircraft leaving." Leo silently commented. His eyes flicked to each metal door. Then standing up on his toes, he looked into the glass window of the closest door. "Hey guys, there are mutants locked up in here! Donnie could be in there!" Waving his hand to beckon them, he exclaimed.

He tried to turn the knob but found it was locked. The door was secured tightly with a security panel. Raph eyeballed it and drew his sais out. "Allow me." In a hushed tone, Raph said as he drove his weapon into it.

The door softly clicked and swung open. Stepping inside, Leo drew his weapons and cautiously looked around. It was dark inside, and many cages were stacked on top of each other, crowding the small room. Making his way to the large metal cage before him, he instantly recognized the being inside. "Spiderbite."

As he uttered the name, the large spidery mutant turned to face him. "It's the frogs! Bust me outta' here will ya?" Then a chorus of mutants sounded in the room at the sound of the turtles. All of them asked to be released.

Shifting his weight onto one foot, he tilted his head. "Okay, but have you seen our brother Donnie in here. You know, the one with the purple mask?" in a weary voice, Leo asked.

"Nah he's not in here. But, we heard his awful crying from down the hall. You'll find him there. Now bust us out!" With impatience, the large hideous mutant spat.

After getting the information he needed, Leo used his katanas and sliced the lock on the door. Without hesitation, Spiderbite busted out and ran out of the room. Once he was gone, the gang went to each cage and opened them one by one. Soon the room was empty of prisoners and they sped out, darting down the hall.

With a driving force, Leo sliced the control panel to the door at the end of the hall and busted his way through. The door slammed open, creating a loud clang. Stopping dead in his tracks, he nearly dropped his weapons in shock. Before him, a gruesome sight filled his sight and he inched slowly into the room.

"Donnie." He whispered in despair.

He was lying on the metal operating table with his limbs bound by thick leather restraints. There were traces of his blood everywhere around the table; it even was seeping through the bandages that wrapped completely around his shell and arms.

A weak cry erupted from the leader's throat. "What…what have they done to you?"

Then a wave of gasps broke out as his companions entered the room. Pressing his way past Leo, Raphael ran to the metal table. He tensed up at the sight and nearly broke down. "Donatello! Is he still alive?" His face twisted in anguish as he knelt down beside him. The heart monitor beeped ever so slightly, giving him the answer.

Leo's heart broke at the sight of his two brothers. However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted as his skin tingled. They weren't alone. Quickly spinning on his heel, he readied the swords in his hands. Armored men and scientists wearing lab coats began to spill into the lab.

Using his pent up anger, Leo dashed forward and dug his weapon into the torso of one of the soldiers. Raph stood up and jumped in to join the fray. One by one, they all struck their opponents. Dodging each shot of a tranquilizer dart, Leo took out the last of the armored soldiers and all that was left were the scientists. The last strike ended up slicing one of the tanks full of water, causing it to spill onto the lab floor. Each of their feet became soaked as they fought off the last of the scientists.

Deciding he was going to leave it up to the rest, he quickly grabbed April by the arm and dragged her over to where Donnie laid. "Help me get him up."

"Right." She responded as she used her fan to cut each of the straps on her side. Her blue eyes were brimming with water at the state of her longtime friend. "I can't believe they did this to him." She whispered in fury.

Donnie's eyes eased open at the touch of his loved ones. Tilting his head upwards, he gave a weak smile when his reddish-brown eyes met the familiar indigo eyes he knew. "Leo…" he softly whispered in a hoarse tone.

Leo's stomach lurched, but instead of showing it, he hugged his younger brother. Then placing an arm underneath him, he eased up the taller turtle into a leaning position. Donnie was far too weak to sit up on his own.

A loud banging sound echoed throughout the room as Raph repeated slammed a scientist's head against a glass tank. Leo shrugged it off; he deserved the fate he was given. However, Donnie's eyes focused on his hotheaded brother and his face cringed slightly. Then using the last of his energy, he began to mouth words. "Raph…make him…stop…aqueous…caesium…re..acts…violently…to water…" as he finished his statement, Don passed out, too weak to stay awake.

Leo's eyes widen at realization, and he turned to look at Raph. The large glass tank had already formed cracks. Lifting an arm, he mustered up his voice. "Raph, stop! That's enough. Now help us with Donnie, and let's get out of here." Using a firm voice, he ordered his younger brother.

The hotheaded turtle stopped for a moment and threw a glare over his shoulder. "No Leo, this guy had it comin'. I'm not goin' easy on him. Not after what he did to Donnie." Then with a pressing force, Raph smashed his head once more into the glass, causing it to shatter.

Instinctively, Leo rushed forward and grabbed on to his brother as gallons of the liquid element began to pour. An explosion sounded and broken glass began to fly. Curling Raph into him, Leo turned his shell towards the combusting flames as the force pushed against them. Sparks flew from the totaled machines and the ceiling began to crumble. As the two brothers slammed against the ground, parts of the ceiling came down on them. Loud cracks sounded in their ears as Leo's leg was crushed. Raph didn't escape this and his arm was crushed as well. They both screamed out in pain as it throbbed throughout their bodies.

Crying out, Mikey and Casey ran up to them in the mist of the large fire. Karai and April followed their lead and helped lifted the large chunks of rubble of them. Both of their limbs looked twisted and black.

"My leg's broken." Leo muttered as Mikey helped him to his feet

"No kidding, I think I broke my shoulder and the rest of my arm." Wincing, Raph replied as Casey and April lifted him up.

"It's your entire fault, now we can't help carry Donnie."

"Watch it! The guy had it comin'"

April clenched her jaw in annoyance. Then raising an arm, she cut the air and yelled "Guys, quit it. This is not the time to be arguing. We need to leave now!" Then pointing to the rest of the shattered tanks, their elements began to pour into the flames, releasing toxic clouds. "It's not safe here!"

Stepping up, Mikey signaled for his sister to come over to his side. "Karai, you can help Leo walk. I can carry Donnie."

Without a word, she took his place and helped Leo stand. Then rushing over to the table, Mikey mustered his strength and hoisted the taller turtle over his shoulder. " 'Kay, let's go!"

Using the last of their energy, they made their way down the hall. Many of the mutants were locked in battle with the guards, creating the perfect distraction for them to escape. Toxic fumes followed them out of the building, and soon they were in the clear. It was hard for the injured turtles to move swiftly; they no longer cared if the cameras caught sight of them.

Once they reached the fence, Karai drew Leo's katanas from their sheath. With graceful swings of the weapon, she cut an opening in the fence for them to slip through. The morning sun poured down on them as they made their way into the forest.

Leo instantly regretted parking the vehicle as far out as he did. His entire leg throbbed and he knew deep in his heart that it was going to take a long time to heal. Anger seethed inside him as he replayed the scene. "If only had listened to me. I don't know how well my leg will heal this time…" Silently, he thought bitterly to himself.

Finally, they reached the Party Wagon. It took them a lot longer than they would have liked, but none of them wanted to complain. Opening the back doors, Casey helped Mikey ease Donnie down into the vehicle. His skin looked extremely pale and his naked eyes had dark bags under them. "Will he recover?" In a worried tone, Casey asked as he looked at Leo.

Easing his eyes shut, he clenched his fists. "I sure hope so." He replied under his breath.

Then without another word, he struggled to climb in; even with Karai's help. Once he was settled, his eyes gazed down somberly at his little brother. Raph settled himself inside as well, and placed Donnie's head on his lap. His emerald green eyes watered with guilt.

It seemed to take forever, but after everyone was in and ready to go, Casey started the vehicle. Stepping his foot on the petal, he drove the van back onto the main road. Then going at top speeds, he set a course for the city.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this installment of Torn Ties. Now things are starting to take a rough turn for the brothers. This chapter was pretty difficult to write, but I feel immensely proud of it. **

**Also, I would like to thank you all again for reading this and following me this far. I'll try to get the next update out as soon as I can. **


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking Point

**Author's Notes: So after releasing yesterday's chapter I felt compelled to write the next installment. After I was finished with all my homework for my courses, of course XD. Anyways, happy reading!**

* * *

Kneeling next to the cushions where Donnie laid, April kept an eye on the sleeping turtle. When they had arrived back home, the gang carried him down into the pit where the seats were comfortable.

She held a wet rag in her hand and began to wipe his face. There bits of dried blood where his cut had streaked down the side of his face. Her eyes sorrowfully glanced at each part of him; all bloody and wound up with bandages.

"Those will need to be changed…" In a low tone, she whispered to herself.

Leo and Raph were currently being examined by Splinter. Their limbs had taken a worse turn with the swelling. The bruises that covered their limbs were black and purple with huge lumps settled inside. Both of them had definitely broken more than just a few bones, and with Donnie out of commission, Splinter had to set them.

April had been given the responsibly to take care of Don while the others tended to other tasks at hand. She had asked Mikey to fetch all the bandages, disinfectant and all the other available medical supplies. He had set down a large crate full of the requested supplies and he then darted off into the dojo to bring his sensei his share.

Reaching down into the crate, she pulled out a large roll of thick bandages. She then set them down in her lap and carefully rinsed off the wet rag with the hot water sitting beside her. Letting it soak, she then took careful fingers and began to work with the bandaged arm closest to her.

As each part was unwrapped, she inched closer to where the bulk of the injury was. Underneath all the bandages, his arm was covered in dried blood. She couldn't fully see the wounds, but April knew they were bad.

"How could he have bled so much? What in the hell did they do to his arms and hands?" She muttered in frustration while furrowing her brows.

Once the bandages were completely removed from his arm, hand and fingers, April plucked the rag out of the water and began to wash his arm. With each delicate wipe, more and more of the blood came off. Her eyes watered at the sight. Many long and jagged cuts worked their way up to his biceps. They weren't just random cuts either; it looked as if they were made in search of something.

Then working her way down to his hand, she rinsed the rag off once more, making the water a murky color. "I'll need fresh water after this." Silently, April noted. With a smear of the stained rag, she cleaned the top of his hand.

Instantly, she noticed the gashes were quite different than the ones that traveled up his arm. Taking a closer look, she then dropped her rag and tears spilled down her face. "They mutilated him!"

A slight cry escaped from her throat as she tore her eyes away from the sight. Mikey and Karai heard her, making them rush to her side.

"April, what's wrong?" Placing his hands on April, Mikey asked with his blue eyes brimming with concern.

She looked up at him and blinked more tears away. "Take a look at what they did to him."

A puzzled look took over the young turtle's face, and he let Karai comfort April while he examined the damage. His eyes trailed down the cuts, causing his face to twist in anger. Once his eyes settled down to the hand, he was taken aback.

"_Little Pet._" He uttered as he read the deep carving on his brother's skin. It left a foul taste in his mouth and he couldn't quite understand what the phrase meant.

Karai heard him and looked up at him. "Little Pet? What the heck does that mean?"

Turning his shell away from his unconscious brother, Mikey looked his sister in the eyes. "I dunno…but it's written on his hand." In a low tone, he replied. He felt turmoil bubbling below the surface, and it pained him to see his brother that way.

Knowing instantly what it meant, Karai mouthed "Oh…" She then added "Whoever gave him all those wounds pretty much branded him. Only instead of burning it into his flesh, they dug into it with a sharp blade; pretty deeply from all the blood we saw." In a low hateful tone, she explained.

April heard enough and she had a job to finish. Shrugging off Karai's hands, she reached down for the bowl of water. "Mikey, go fetch me some fresh hot water." In a low commanding tone, she ordered.

Without hesitation, he took the bowl out of her hands and bounded off. Karai stood up and gazed over Donnie before leaving. She sensed that April wanted to be alone with him. There was also Leonardo and Raphael to attend to.

After Mikey returned with the water, April shooed him away and told him that Splinter would probably need his help. Deep down she knew that probably wasn't true, but she didn't want him to see the damage that had been done to his older brother.

Once more, she resumed cleaning the wounds. It took few minutes, but once all the dried blood was cleaned off, April took the disinfectant and gave each gash a quick swipe. The muscles in his arm seemed to twitch in response; however, she paid no mind.

Taking the beige bandages in hand, she skillfully wrapped his fingers and his arm all the way up to his biceps. Suddenly, she heard a loud cry boom into the room from the Dojo. Leo's voice was mutilated pain as he yelped out a strain of curses.

"Looks like Master Splinter started setting their bones. At least they are in a better state than Donnie." As she commented, April took her warm hand and lightly stroked Donnie's pale face. Even in his sleep, he looked tormented. A hard frown refused to leave his face and the dark bags that hung below his closed eyes seemed even darker than before.

Rinsing the rag, she continued with his other arm. It didn't nearly come as a shock when saw the exact same damage to it, but it still unsettled her. Tears would occasionally streak down her face as she cleaned his right arm. She was glad once she fully bandaged it. Wiping her brow, her face was red with exhaustion and heat. Not one ounce of her anger seeped away from the constant thoughts of what Donnie was put through. Then noticing the water bowl was once again murky and she replaced it with fresh water. Raph's screams could be heard over the sound of running water. "Raph's turn" She muttered under her breath.

After getting the clean water, she settled back down next to the taller turtle. She sat still, staring at him for a few. Each of her muscles in her arms tensed up as her eyes pierced the bloody bandages that covered this shell

"If his arms were that bad, I'm afraid to see what's underneath those." Then slapping her own face, she shook off her fear. "Get it together. Those wounds need to be addressed." With a seriousness holding her voice, she told herself.

Leaning over him, she loosened the bandage at the very top of his plastron. It was still wet, warning her that the wounds underneath haven't fully stopped bleeding. Silence filled the air as she carefully peeled the soaked bandage away. Raph had ceased his screaming, making it easier for her to focus.

Clenching her eyes shut, she was too anxious to see the extent of the damage. However, she had to withstand and she forced them back open. Realizing the severity of his wounds, April quickly peeled off all the dirty bandages until they were all stripped from Donnie's shell.

She stood back in shock as held the end of the stained up bandage in her hand. "Who could do such a thing to him?" in a sobbing tone, she asked herself as stared down at him.

There were many black marks mapping his plastron. On the outer edges there were deep cuts that were roughly done. It was obvious that there was a sign of a struggle and that Donnie fought off whatever it was. At closer look, April realized that they had tried to open his shell with power tools. Noticing the large gash that cut across diagonally, she knew it looked unintentional from how sloppy it was. Scarlet red blood was still oozing from it, struggling to clot.

Labored breaths escaped her lips as she controlled the urge to break down and bawl. Donnie needed care, and there was no time for being weak. Swiftly, she grabbed the wet rag and wiped as much blood away as she could. Immediately following, she used the disinfectant spray on the gashes that dug into his shell. As she cleaned it, she realized that they weren't nearly as bad as they looked, but he had definitely lost too much blood.

"I need to hurry and cover them."

Once again she pulled out the supply of fresh bandages and leaned over him. Something caught her eye though, causing her to stop what she was doing. Inching closer, she listened carefully and heard Donnie beginning to mumble. His head then shifted slightly.

"Donnie?" Her voice squeaked out.

Suddenly, his eyes flicked open. Then a loud cry erupted from his throat. In an instant movement, he quickly bolted upwards and lifting a leg, he planted it right in April's stomach. Putting pressure behind it, he kicked her with force, sending her flying across the room.

"Get away from me!" He screamed as he leapt to his feet.

A loud crash sounded as April hit the wall and landed into the pool of water. Everyone heard the commotion and rushed out to see what was happening. Their faces held pure shock as they watched Donnie stumble over to her and then lift her up by the neck.

His eyes were blanked out and a deranged smile held his face captive. April struggled in his grasp and felt the air flow being cut off. The pressure he placed around her neck tightened and her soaked body trembled from the force.

Struggling to speak, she begged "Do…ie…st...op"

Master Splinter rushed to her aid and struck his arms. In an instant reaction, he let go. She collapsed onto the ground with a pool of water forming underneath her. Giving slight coughs, she rubbed her throat.

Donnie cried out once more and lunged at her again. Only this time, Splinter pinned him down. Struggling underneath him, Donnie put up a fight and blood began to seep out onto the cold ground.

"Calm down my son! You are safe!" Snapping, Splinter said as he tried to settle the crazed turtle.

It took a few moments, but he eventually settled and his resistance ceased. A slight whimper sounded as he cried out in agony. "It hurts. Please, no more…Just kill me. I'm not going to tell you a thing!"

Splinter's heart ached at the sound of his son's pleads. "Oh how they broke you my son…" then taking his hand, he lightly patted the top of his head. He was still weary, so he held him down until he came to his senses.

"Donatello, you are safe now. Come back to us." In a soothing tone, Splinter begged as he continued to stroke his head.

Finally, the words reached Donnie. His eyes came back into focus and his limbs became limp. "Sensei?"

Seeing that his son's mind became fully aware, he got up and lifted him up. "Yes, I am here. You are gravely injured, so let me tend to your wounds... Just know you are safe now."

Easing his eyes shut, Donnie felt the pain hit him hard. It coursed throughout his entire body, causing tears to overflow from his lids. He felt weak from all the blood he had lost and all he wanted to do was sleep.

In a hoarse whisper, he muttered "Hai…sensei…"

April watched as he was carried into his room while Mikey brought her a fresh towel. Her neck throbbed where he had gripped it. She knew that it was going to bruise, much to her dislike. Tears spilled down her wet face, and her soaked body felt chill from the air surrounding her. Regaining her footing, she went to the dojo in search for a change of clothes.

* * *

Leo stood leaning on a crutch in Donnie's doorway. He watched as Splinter wiped the blood away from his plastron and bandaged him up. It came quite a shock for Leo to watch his younger brother attack someone like that. Never in his life had seen Donnie act so feral.

"Is he going to be alright, Sensei?" He asked as his eyes implored his master.

"Hmmm…define alright." As he worked with treating his son's wounds, he replied.

Leo gripped his crutches and sighed. "I mean, will he heal?

Splinter let out a slight hum and shut his eyes. Setting down the bandages, he turned to face his eldest son. "Well, his _physical_ wounds will heal. However, I fear the worst for the wounds that cannot be seen. He has sustained a lot of mental trauma, and unlike you or Raphael…who will heal and move on…Donatello may never be the same." His eyes watered as he explained the circumstances to Leo.

Raphael had been nearby and eavesdropped on the two of them. At the sound of the news, he turned away and stomped off to his bedroom. A loud slam echoed throughout the lair, indicating that had indeed been listening.

At a loss for words, Leo turned his head away and limped out of the room. He could tell his father wanted to be left alone with his brother from the uncomfortable silence. With each hobble, he thought about his father's words and he worried for his little brother. His shell seemed heavy as he swam through his thoughts. Not only did Donnie weigh on his mind, but his own injury as well. He had struggled with his leg before, and he knew that this time there's a good chance that his leg may be permanently damaged.

At the thought of Raphael and his injury, anger skimmed below the surface in his mind. It was ready to pour out at any moment, and Leo felt the need to mediate. He wasn't quite ready to face his hotheaded brother and deep down he partially blamed him for the injury.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Yeah, I did go into details on the damage that was done to Donnie. However, how bad Leo and Raph's injuries were remain to be revealed. Again, I've never written a true angst story before, so this has been an incredible learning experience. I also want to thank all my readers and supporters for following me this far. It means a lot to me and it brings me joy that others enjoy my work. Well, I'll get the next installment out as soon as I can. Thank you all so much!**

Edit: It was brought to my attention that the word unwounded was confusing. I meant the word that meant unwrapped, rather than not injured. Sorry for the confusion! ^.^


	7. Chapter 7: The Tear

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I know it's been a few days since I've released an updates for any of my fics. I just had some things going on and I was swamped with school work. However, I have an update for y'all now. It's a bit lengthier, but I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!**

* * *

Raph sat on the edge of Donnie's bed. His emerald green eyes implored his brother who had his face pressed to his knees. The bedroom was dimly lit and dust had started accumulating on everything except for the bed. Don had refused to move from his spot except to use the restroom.

A heavy breath escaped from Raphael's lips. Guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, but he refused to show it on his face. Seeing his brother in this state pained him. Finally, he said "Donnie, you've been hidin' in here for a week now. Look, you should talk about it. I know for a fact that ya' need to."

His younger brother tilted his head upwards slightly and his eyes continued to look downwards. "Raph, for the hundredth time…I don't want to talk about it..." then clenching his eyes shut, he continued in a harsher tone. "I just _can't_."

Raph narrowed his eyes and shook his head just a bit. He had a hard time believing that. "Don, I know for a fact that holdin' that in isn't good for you."

This time Donnie lifted his head up and his reddish-brown eyes brimmed with water. "Look, I don't want to, Raph. I know you're trying to help me, but you can't…"

A sharp pain tugged at Raph's heart from the look his brother held. Reaching his uninjured hand out, he placed it on Don's shoulder. The touch of his hand caused his brother's face to be stricken with fear and his entire body trembled. A slight cry of protest passed his quivering lips. Raphael instantly regretted touching him. "Crap, I forgot that we can't handle him at all…damn it." He thought to himself angrily

Drawing his hand away, he used a soothing tone to try to calm him down. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. No one is. You're fine, alright?"

It took a few moments, but Donnie eventually settled and he buried his head back into his knees. "Mhm."

Another wave of regret passed over Raph as he watched his brother. "If only I had gotten to him before they sped off. If only I hadn't lost the trail." Clenching his jaw, he thought to himself as he felt his emotions stir. The awkward quietness filled the room; it was almost suffocating.

Then suddenly, the silence was broken as Donnie started mumbling. Raph furrowed his brows in frustration because he couldn't quite hear him. "Look Donnie, I can't hear you."

A sigh passed his lips as he lifted his head up once more. "I said, enough about me…how's your arm feeling?"

His eyes examined the white sling that hung from his neck. Two brown pieces of wood stuck out along with his wrapped up hand. Splinter had to splint and bind his hand, since he couldn't do it. The sling was made since Raph had difficulties with his broken shoulder.

At the mention of said arm, Raph quickly glanced down at it and shrugged. However, he felt a slight twinge of pain from the motion, but held his poker face. "Oh this? Ah, this is nothin'. Master Splinter said it would take a few months to heal, but it's no big deal." Then giving him an assuring smile, he added "Besides, you're the one I'm worried 'bout. How do ya' feel?"

Donnie rolled his eyes and shifted his weight slightly. "Isn't obvious? I feel like crap. It's whatever though, I'll heal." After he finished speaking, something else shone his eyes; something unreadable.

Raphael had noticed the odd look, but he decided not to press it. It was bad enough that Donnie flips out whenever someone pushes him too hard. No one else knew what he knew. Only a few days ago, he found his little brother trying to tear up his arms with a kunai after an incident involving April. That was the deciding factor for him to try and talk to his brother. He was genuinely concerned for his brother and his safety.

Knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere today, Raph hoisted himself to his feet. The sudden movement was hard on his shoulder, but he didn't care. His pain was nothing compared to Donnie's. "Well, one of us will bring ya' something to eat later. Try to rest, okay?" he said as he glanced over his other shoulder.

All Don did in response was dip his head before burrowing his face in his knees. Raph gave him one last look before exiting the room. The door creaked ever so slightly as he pressed his shell against. Then it clicked softly and he gave a heavy sigh.

April approached him with a glass of water in her hands. Her face held concern and he lips were in a hard frown. "How's he feeling?"

"Better than before…I guess." In a low tone he replied. Then Raph eyed the glass of water and glanced up at her face. "You aren't gonna go in there, are ya?"

"Yeah, I thought he could use some water." Cocking an eyebrow, she didn't like where this was going.

Raph placed his free arm on his side and tilted his head. "Well, I rather have ya not. Every time you go in there, he goes bonkers. Something about ya' drives him nuts."

Her blue eyes flashed with anger and she gave a huff of resentment. "So you're saying it's my fault he goes crazy?"

"No…but do you know the pain it brings him after he hurts you? Look, just don't go in there. Leave him alone."

April wasn't going to have it. Lifting up her feet, she stomped over to the door, but she ceased when she heard her name.

"April!"

Then she whipped her head around at the turtle who called her. "What, Leo?" She snapped venomously.

A pressing frown took his face and he limped over to her. Then lifting his hand, he pressed it against the bedroom door. "I'm with Raph on this one. We can't always protect you if you go in there on your own. It's for the best that you stay away from him. Even Master Splinter would agree."

Raph eyed her to see how she would respond. He was even surprised that his older brother had taken his side. Ever since they returned home, Leo has refused to even look him in the eye.

April's face held defeat. Gritting her teeth, she stormed away. Silence gripped the air as Raph watched her leave. He was surprised by her reaction, but thankful for it. Then he looked towards his older brother. Leo looked away, not wanting to lock eyes. With an awkward motion, he eased the door open and bumbled inside, shutting the door behind him.

"What the heck is his problem? If he's still angry at me for getting us injured, then he'll have to get over it eventually…" He thought to himself in an annoyed tone. Deciding it wasn't worth the extra aggravation, he made his way to the living room to see what his other brother was up to.

* * *

Another week passed and Donatello refused to leave his room except for dire cases. The room was dark, but his eyes could see clearly. They had adjusted to the darkness and any source of light hurt his eyes. He sat on his bed, eying the two uneaten slices of pizza sitting on his nightstand. Hunger didn't even bother him anymore, nor did he even feel like eating.

He had lost a bit of weight since he had returned home, but that was the least of his worries. If anything, he felt fear and tension anytime he stepped foot outside his bedroom. Swimming in thoughts, he recalled the countless things done to him and his body ached in response.

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at his door, which caused his thoughts to come to a halt. A slight cry of annoyance erupted from him, but he shrugged it off. Using a heavy breath, he responded "Come in."

Shutting he eyes, he wanted to avoid the light that seeped in. Then the door creaked shut and soft footsteps sounded. Dread crept into him as he instantly recognized who they belong to. "Oh no…"

In response, he refused to open his eyes and he buried his head into his hands. "Anyone else but her…I just want her to leave me alone."

Then, he heard a soft familiar click. "Great, she turned the light on…can't she leave already?" Donnie tried to contain himself. He had difficulty keeping his memories from flooding back in. All he wanted to do was avoid blacking out; he had to keep a grip.

Her sweet voice drifted in his ears. "Donnie, how are you feeling?"

The question brought up the memories of lying on that table. After being electrocuted, Rook would ask him with a sneer plastered on her face. His whole body trembled and ached, causing him to slightly whimper at the memory. In his curled up position, he refused to even budge or speak.

Out of nowhere the bed creaked and he felt his whole body shift slightly. In response, he curled up even tighter. He felt his sense of security slipping. However, it didn't stop there. She leaned close to him and tried to get his attention. Next thing he knew, the smell of her floral perfume seeped into his nostrils.

In a sudden burst of adrenaline, he opened his eyes and saw Rook leaning over him with her gruesome smile. Her green eyes analyzed him as she decided how she was going to cut him open. Knowing that he wasn't bound, he lunged towards her, and slammed her to the ground.

Her screams pierced his ears, but he gave a menacing laugh in response. "How does it feel to have the very thing you look down on take your life into his hands?" Then with a quick swipe of his hand, he pulled his stained kunai out of his draw of the night stand and pressed it against her throat.

"Hmmm, how shall I carve you? Where are your arteries? I would love to know!" His cackle filled the room as he pressed all his weight against her. Taking the weapon in hand, he pressed it against her face, but before he could make any movements, he felt a strong grip jerk him off.

"Donnie, stop it! Leave April alone!" Mikey used all of his strength to hold the taller turtle back. His words were futile, since Donnie was in his fit of rage. All sense of reasoning was beyond reach.

April's face held determination. "Mikey, hold him there good. I'll try and calm him down." Locking eyes with him, she firmly ordered.

He nodded and held the struggling turtle even tighter. Then April stood in front of Donnie and used both hands to cup his head. Her bottom lip stuck out in concentration. "Donnie, calm down. It's me, April."

Sending out a wave of security, she dug into his mind. The sight of blood flying everywhere flashed in her mind, making her feel nauseous. A set of menacing green eyes followed, making her wonder who they belonged to. Then, she felt a force crash into her as she saw his broken mind replay how he saw her. When he attacked her, it wasn't her.

Feeling the trauma to be too much for her, she pulled away and opened her eyes. He was out of her reach, causing her eyes to water from the experience. "I can't help him…I'll just leave and grab Master Splinter." Then spinning on her heel, she ran out.

Donnie began to quiver in Mikey's grasp. Soon, he went limp and whimpers along with pleading passed his lips. Mikey held onto his brother and hugged him. He had never seen anyone so helpless in his life. The trembling only grew worse as his touch was a trigger for his sense of his brother's helplessness.

"Stop…please, no more. Don't hurt me…." His brother begged.

Shock hit him at the sound of his words. He gripped even harder and whispered "Bro, I'm not gonna hurt ya. It's gonna be alright."

"Michelangelo, release him. " His father's stern voice sounded.

At the command, Mikey did was he was told. The sudden release caused Donnie to fall to the ground and curl up into a ball. Sobbing, he buried his face into his bandaged hands. He became aware of what just happened.

"I-I-I hurt her again…didn't I?" Struggling to breathe, he cried even harder. Every time he completely blacked out, he knew exactly what it meant. After the first incident, he resorted to locking himself away.

Splinter sighed and knelt down next to him. He reached out and patted his son, but even at the slightest of his touch, Don winced; it was just an instant reflex. Then he withdrew his hand and clutched his kimono. "She is alright; your brother stepped in just in time. She is safe." His deep voice attempted to soothe him.

A wave of relief spread over the sobbing turtle, and soon he calmed his nerves. Wiping his tears away, he eyed the weapon that laid on the floor. The urge to stab himself tingled inside of him. His mind went blank, and he reached out towards it. His family members looked confused; however, Raph had rushed to the doorway after hearing the outburst. Gaping his mouth open, he knew exactly what his brother was about to do.

Reaching his good arm forward, he stumbled into the room. "Stop him before he-"

An agonizing cry escaped from Donnie as he tore the sharp knife into his arm. Splitting the bandages open, he carved into the very cuts that refused to heal. Splinter then realized why they hadn't healed, and quickly he swiped the weapon from his son and chucked it away. He then pulled the turtle into him close, even though he jerked and resisted. The cries he gave pierced all of their hearts, causing them to twist their faces in pain.

Mikey and Raph just stood there and watched the heart wrenching scene. Then, they looked to their father, searching for his strength. A heavy breath escaped Splinter and he looked towards his sons. In a low tone he said "I can handle this… Go, he'll be alright after he calms down." His eyes glanced back down to his helpless son and his chest ached from all the suffering he displayed.

At their father's order, the two brothers turned their shells and headed out the room. Before Raph could exit, he heard his father's voice.

"Raphael, later on I want to speak to you alone."

He didn't turn to face him. Raph knew exactly what it was about. Tensing his muscles, a heavy breath passed his lips as he wearily said "Hai Sensei."

Once his sons fully left, Splinter tried to calm his son, but he held him in fear of his safety. Donnie continued to cry as his blood spilled from his wound. The blood got onto his father, but he hadn't realized. In his mind, he felt that he was bound once more and his nightmare was never ending.

Her voice rang in his head while his arm was throbbing. He continued to rock and jerk in his father's embrace. Soon, he exhausted himself, causing him to collapse. With all of his energy released, Splinter lifted him up and placed him on the bed. He then pulled bandages out of the draw and changed all of his stained, dirty ones.

Donatello laid there, seeping into unconsciousness. He was too drained to even stay awake. As he fell as sleep he whispered "I…just…want it…to end…"

His father stroked his head in response and then put away the supply of bandages. Standing upwards, he eyed the floor until they locked on the kunai. "I probably should remove all sharp and dangerous weapons." In a hushed tone, he whispered.

In a quick sweep around the room, his father gathered up anything that could be deemed as dangerous. Then with a haul of objects in his arms, he gave his sleeping son one last glance before he exited.

* * *

In the passing weeks, Leo's frustration only grew. Being bound to the limitations of his leg only aggravated him. Not only that, but he also had his little brother he was concerned about. Donnie insisted holding himself up in his room. Leo had argued with April multiple times on his state and him as well as his sensei insisted that she avoid any contact with him.

She understood, but she felt that if she tried to reach out to him enough, that she could help him. Leo knew it only made things worse when she did. His mind swam in pressing thoughts as he sat in the darkness of the living room. He originally wanted to watch television, but he grew tired of it and shut it off.

Being in the lair in general made him uncomfortable and moody. Mikey got on his nerves, he couldn't stand Raph, and it was even to the point where Casey and April were hard to handle. He couldn't blame Donnie though, but his little brother made it difficult by not letting him in.

Releasing a sigh, Leo burrowed his face into his hands. Lately, he just wanted to be alone or just somewhere else in general. "Being a leader all these years has finally worn me out. I just feel all the strains that are tearing us apart, and I don't want to deal with it." Somberly, he whispered into his hands.

Suddenly, Leo's senses told him that he wasn't alone. In the silence, he had already figured out who stood nearby. "Great, the last person I want to deal with."

Lifting his head up, he rested his arms in his lap and drew a long breath. Exhaling, he looked over towards his brother standing by the kitchen. "What is it, Raph?"

Raph instantly felt his hostility and scoffed. "Nothing." Then shifting his head, he then asked "What are ya' sitting in the dark for?"

Tilting his head in annoyance, Leo muttered "No particular reason."

"Oh…"

Then making his way down into the pit, Raph decided he wanted to sit down. He was sick of his brother constantly avoiding him, and this was the perfect chance to see what his issue is. Many things were also on his mind and he could feel the tension that pulled at all of them. It was only a matter of time before one of them snapped.

Settling into his spot, Raph inhaled deeply and looked down towards the ground. The feelings of awkwardness grinded against him. "Leo, why have you been avoiding me?"

Now that the question was in the air, Leo knew he couldn't dodge it. Then feeling the anger he kept below the surface starting to boil, he decided to let out some steam. "Well, there are a number of reasons. One being is that you have had this nasty attitude with me ever since Donnie was captured. The second reason is that you kept Donnie mutilating himself a secret." Then lifting a finger, he pointed it at his brother and gave him a scolding look. "Third being that you defied me and now we are stuck in this bind."

Raph's emerald green eyes widen in disbelief. "You mean you're still blaming me for our injuries?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it means. We both know the warnings Master Splinter gave us. There's a chance we could use some of movability in our limbs. However, I'm at a greater risk since I've had a major injury to my leg before." His voice lowered into a menacing growl as he lectured his hotheaded brother. He made it very clear on how he felt and wanted to tear into him with his words.

However, Raph just sat there, shocked. Deep down, he knew he deserved everything that was being thrown at him. But, at the same time, he felt like Leo was being a bit petty. "Look Leo, things happen. You are whining about your injuries, but look at Don. This is nothin' compared to him!"

Leo was tired of it. Cutting the air with his hand, he snapped "Again, that's your fault too. If you hadn't lost the trail to the van, then he wouldn't have gotten hurt. So you can also blame yourself for that." His voice started to rise in frustration and he knew he was going over board, but didn't care. "In fact, things would have turned out so much better if you weren't here. You obviously haven't been much help to your brother and you liked to question me so much. Why don't you leave and live your own life!"

All of his words struck Raph's heart. It ached and throbbed, wanting to tear from his plastron. Every single muscle in his body tensed, and his entire arm sent waves of pain throughout his torso. With his emerald green eyes brimming with water, he stood up and turned away. He couldn't even muster up a counter.

Leo watched his brother and a sense of pleasure replaced the dread. The sensation was short lived as he realized exactly what he had done. He took some of the things he felt guilty for and mixed them in with the things he knew Raph regretted. A heavy breath passed his lips and he eased his eyes shut.

"Oh well, he's got thick skin anyways." In bitterness he thought to himself while he listened to Raph walking away.

Moments passed as he sat there by himself. He replayed the scene in his mind along with other ones. Then a loud cry sounded and his train of thought ceased. Hoisting himself onto his leg, he grabbed his crutches and stumbled towards Donnie's room.

"Guys, come quick! Donnie's gone!"

Fear flooded all of Leo's senses as he hobbled faster over towards his brother. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"Exactly what it means!" Raph called back.

Soon, he was standing next to his brother and everyone else had woken up. They crowded them as they eyed a piece of paper that was in Raph's clutch.

"He left a note." He muttered as he gripped it even harder.

Leo felt his impatience increasing and he rolled his eyes. " I see that. Now, read it."

Working with his fingers awkwardly, Raph readjusted the paper in his hand until he could clearly read it. His face held a hard frown as he spoke:

"_Guys, I can't do this anymore. I can't keep hiding myself in my room and making you all worry about me. I honestly miss working in my lab, but at the same time I don't feel secure in there. Which brings me to the point: I know that I'll never be the same._

_So, I've been using my spare T-phone and I found a new place for me to stay; one where I don't have to worry about blacking out or feeling helpless. The hard part will be getting there, but as long as I stick to the shadows, I think I'll be alright._

_Also, please tell April not to use her powers to find me. I want her to stay as far away from me as she can. This also means you can't ask her to help you find me. I know I'm doing a selfish thing here, but I can't keep living in my nightmare by being around others. I'll be safer on my own._

_Sincerely,_

_Donatello"_

As Raph finished the last few words, his voice trembled. A wave of different mixed emotions crashed down on him, nearly suffocating him. Everyone else felt the same as the mood in the air grew heavy and the tension only seemed to thicken.

"We seriously aren't going to comply are we?" April asked in a worried tone.

However, Splinter sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I think it's for the best we give him space. If you are extremely worried about him, then you guys can go find him. No longer are you all children, so I cannot keep treating you like so."

Leo stiffened. The very notion that his family was already splitting and tearing at the seams hit him hard. He knew that there would be no point in searching for Donnie, he wouldn't come home willingly. If April went near him on his own, then there was a chance he could kill her.

Then using the last ounce of his leadership skills, Leo came to a decision. "April, you can go ahead and look for him. However, take Mikey with you. Just do not go near him…if his location his indeed as safe as he claims, then just leave him there. You won't be able to force him to come home…he'll just run away again." Tiredness shone in his voice as he gave the order.

She didn't even wait for another second and she pulled Mikey along. Storming out of the liar, the two of them left his sights. Everyone else dissipated, except for Raph. He just stood at the doorway to Donnie's bedroom.

"I guess you're right. I'm not good for anything. I couldn't even reach out to him." He muttered under his breath.

"No, you couldn't. Neither could I."

Then Raph came to a decision. Standing firm on both his feet, he turned to face his brother. "Well, I'm gonna take your suggestion. I can't do this whole family thing anymore…"

"Good, because you sucked at it."

Leo struck a nerve and in retaliation, Raph used his uninjured hand and punched him right in the face. The force caused Leo, to stumble backwards and fall on his injured leg. A gasp showing the excruciating pain erupted from him. His entire body jerked from the pain and he struggled to get to his foot.

When he looked up to his brother for help, he was gone. Dread seeped into him as he realized he pushed his brother away. At the same time however, he felt a wave of relief. It took a few attempts, but Leo eventually got up and held himself steady with his crutches. "I can't believe he did that." he rolled his shoulders in agitation and then continued to think "Oh well, maybe it's time I step down as a leader and move on as well…"

Then hobbling to his room, he decided to mull it over one last time before coming to a final decision. Little did he know, Master Splinter heard every part of their conversations that they had. He knew the day was going to arrive, when his children would have a major fight; one that would split them apart. Easing his eyes shut, he prayed that they would learn to come to terms.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this installment. Now, I've fully covered the beginning of the fic that's in the premise. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to take me this long, but I'm quite satisfied. Also, this is not the end, there's still much more to go. I can't thank you all enough for following me and reading this far. It means a lot to me. Also, feel free to leave feedback. I appreciate the things my readers do and it helps me grow as a writer. I'll try to get the next installment out as soon as I can.  
**


	8. Chapter 8: 18 Months Later

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I got another update for you all. I found this chapter quite interesting to write. I hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

In the cloudless sky above, the moon stood out. Stars were not visible, since the glow of the city mingled with the moonlight completely obscured them. However, this did not stop Michelangelo from staring upwards in search for one.

A heavy sigh passed his lips as he had his fill of the view and he darted his attention to the abandoned warehouse before him. A large bag was strapped to him, full of parts. Also, a pair of thick framed glasses clung to his face. The wires hanging from them irritated his skin, so he plucked them off his face and chucked them in bag. "One of these days, I'm going to make him take care of himself. I'm tired of always havin' to do things for him!"

Shrugging off the annoyance, Mikey made his way into the building, taking the side entrance. The thick metal door made an eerie creak as he moved it. Once fully inside, he then his eyes shifted towards all the wooden crates that were covered in layers upon layers of dust. Many steel bars crossed the ceiling, but they looked weak and frail with all the rust coating them. Many broken glass windows allowed for the moonlight to seep in, making it easier to see.

Taking careful steps to avoid any nails or glass on the dirty concrete ground, Mikey made his over to a large stack of crates over towards the back wall. Using both hands, he grappled one and used his strength to pull it out. Now that there was an opening in the wall of wooden boxes, he stepped inside and pulled it back into place.

An exhausted breath escaped from him at the work he did today. "Why did Donnie have to fill all those boxes with heavy stuff? They are so hard to move!" He whined as he rolled his shoulders. Then his eyes adjusted to the pitch black hallway. Stepping forward, he pressed a button and headed down a long metal staircase. An obnoxious buzz rang out and then a chimed swing accompanied it.

Soft blue light seeped into the confined space following the noises. Mikey waved at the camera settled above the door and then grabbed the thick handle to shut it behind him. "All this work just for one turtle." He grumbled lightly.

Blue and soft white lights lined the many metal corridors. The first few times Mikey came here, he had gotten lost; after all this time however, he knew the place like all six of his toes. Humming a cheery tune, he made his way down the left tunnel. The melody bounced off the walls, echoing all over the place.

Soon, he made it to the end where a room with many monitors and computers lined all four walls. In a large swivel chair, his brother sat clacking away at the computer in the far right corner. Mikey noticed the frown on his face and wondered what happened now.

"I'm back." Announcing with enthusiasm, Mikey leapt over towards his older brother.

"Mhm." He replied. Without looking away from the screen, Donnie continued to type. His fingers pounded against the keyboard with ferocity. With each passing second, his frown only became more pressed. He then added "I'll be with you in just a moment. I have to take care of this first." His voice held annoyance and agitation.

"Oh…what happened now?" Cocking his head to the side, Mikey leaned over his broad shoulder to get a good look at the screen.

A grunt was released in response and he said "Oh, it's Mr. Hero again. He's off stopping a bank robbery and little does he know, he's leaving a trail behind."

"Aww man, not Leo again. Man, should I go be his sidekick today?"

A slight smirk appeared on Don's face. "Nah, you're good. Karai has his back; however, I have to deal with her exposure as well." Then his frown returned and he quickly glanced at Mikey. "I thought you told me you had a talk with him about how hard it is for me to keep covering for him?" After the question was asked, he whipped his head back to the screen to keep working.

Furrowing his brows, Mikey responded "I did, but he got all annoyed with me." Then placing his hands on his sides, he imitated the oldest turtle. "Oh at least I'm out here being productive and helping people. Besides, you guys are not my problem to worry about anymore. So get over it. If Donnie has an issue he can take his shell out of hiding and face me himself."

Donnie released a slight snicker on how well his little brother imitated him. However, he also shrugged off Leo's stubbornness. "Typical. Well, I'm the one protecting him…even with my shell in hiding."

Mikey folded his arms across his plastron. His eyes stared down at the taller turtle. He had dark bandages wrapped from the tips of his fingers all the way up his arms. All of his protective gear was absent, since his brother no longer felt the need for them. The only things that remained were the foot wrappings and the purple mask.

Deciding that he at least agreed with a little of what Leo said, Mikey inhaled deeply. "Look D, you gotta' come out of here eventually. I can't keep doin' things for ya'. I mean, come on…we're twenty-one now. Some exercise will be good for you" His blue eyes implored his brother, even though he was lost in his work.

Easing his eyes shut, Donnie sighed and stopped working. He had managed to clear all evidence that his brother and sister were the ones that put an end to the robbery. Then hoisting himself to his feet, he stood over his younger brother. "Look, I do get exercise. After all, that's the only way I can release all of my tension. I learned that just by absorbing myself in my work, it doesn't help the anxiety that my body has. I mean come on; does it seriously look like I don't get enough?" A cheeky grin spread across his face, slightly crinkling the scar on his cheek.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Dude, that's not what I meant and you know it. I meant is that you need fresh air. Like city air. One day I'm not gonna be able continue getting all your junk for ya'" Then reaching out, he nudged his brother. The slight touch made his brother wince. "Oops, sorry… Forgot that you don't like being touched." He rubbed the back of his head as he looked up at him apologetically.

Donnie shrugged it off and walked passed him. "Nah, it's fine. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

A slight snicker escaped from his brother and placed his hands on his belt. "Riiiggghhht."

As his brother stared at another screen, he stated "I noticed you took off the eye cam. From the looks of it I could tell it was bothering you, so I'll adjust them."

Knowing his brother completely missed the point of their entire conversation, he waved a hand. "Ah whatever…just get your stuff, will ya?"

Unstrapping himself from the large bag, he flung it towards his brother. Donnie caught it with ease and slung it on his shoulder. "Well, thanks for the help." As he thanked his brother, his reddish-brown eyes gleamed with appreciation.

"Ah, it's no biggie." Then lifting a finger, he squinted his eyes. "Seriously though, one of these days you gotta' get outside."

Donnie shrugged his words off and waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I'll be in the lab…so if you want, you can chill out in the lounge. Otherwise, I'll see you later."

Mikey huffed at the coldness his brother displayed. "Nah, I'm gonna' head home. Also, call Sensei will ya? He hasn't heard from you in weeks and it hurts his feelings."

"Will do."

As he watched his older brother walk away, a deep sense of sadness held him. Out of all his brothers, he was closest to Donnie, and after the incident, he was the only one there for him. The scene replayed in his mind on how he returned home from scouting his new hideout, only to find out his two older brothers split. Anger and pain boiled inside of him. However, he took a deep breath and let it go. Splinter told them it was up to them to work out their issues.

He runs into Leo every now and then. Often, it leads him to playing sidekick to his hero business. However, once the game was over, Leo would split. As for Raph, he hadn't seen him once. Donnie explained to him he left the city and he decided to travel around. He only knew that because he would cover for him as well, by deleting any evidence that he existed in the world.

Mikey loved his older brother, but lately it was wearing him down by having to help with all his needs. "Ah whatever, besides Casey, I'm all he's got."

Once he knew the close was clear, Mikey shifted over to one of the computers to take a peek on anything new his brother was working on. "Oh, here's something…huh, just says virus. Dunno' what that means, but I better not touch it." His eyes darted side to side as he looked at different things on the screen.

Suddenly a loud buzz erupted in the computer room. "Mikey, I know you're touching my computers. Get off them. Now." A loud nonchalant voice echoed into the room, making the orange masked turtle cringe.

"Man, how does he always know?"

* * *

Keeping his hands steady, Donnie pulled out scraps of metal and wires out of the bag. His reddish brown eyes focused on every detail, as he lifted each piece into the light. Many parts were laid out onto the long metal table. Broken appliances to copper wires, many objects accumulated the space.

"Hmm, he's gotten a lot better at picking out good parts. Most of this stuff may actually be useful for once." In a low tone, he muttered as he coiled up a thick silvery wire.

Once the wire was bound and put onto the table, he lifted his long arms and stretched them above his head. He felt mentally drained after not getting a full night's sleep and he knew he needed to check the computers again. "I just hope Leo hasn't done any other showing off tonight. Covering a huge stunt like that was enough for one day." Bringing his bandaged arms back down to his sides, he grumbled in annoyance.

Rolling his shoulders, he switched off the light and made his way into the barely lit hall. His eyes were completely used to the dark, and every time one of his two regular guests came over, he had to switch them all on so they wouldn't complain. Each step he took bounced against the metal walls, echoing into his ears.

Taking a right turn, he entered into the passageway that leads to his computer room. It was his favorite room, since it was his only connection to the outside world. That room was the only place he could protect his family that he ran away from. All in all, it was his security blanket.

After he made it inside, he plopped himself in his chair, making it squeak. Then using his weight, he shifted over towards his main computer that he uses to track everything. His eyes flickered as he examined the different screens on the monitor.

"Hmmm, looks like everything died down for tonight. I should go and run a database search to make sure nothing got leaked without my knowledge." He thought to himself while cupping his chin.

Using his feet, he slid over to a smaller computer and started typing away. "Oh, someone posted a blurry pic of him. Need to hack everything that had access to it and delete all traces of that photo." Cracking his fingers, he stated to himself in an unamused tone. As he brought his fingers back down to the keyboard, he rolled his eyes. "Man, this will take hours... He's lucky I care about him!"

He could feel his exhaustion creep onto him as he clacked away at the keys. It was days like this when he was frustrated, but at the same time, he welcomed any distractions that would keep him settled into thoughts for too long. The screen illuminated his face, making the scar across his cheek have a shine to it. It never fully healed right, but he stopped caring awhile back. Soon, he became completely absorbed in the task and his fingers moved rapidly, making the time fly past.

Suddenly, he heard the loud familiar buzz of the obnoxious guest call he installed. Glancing over his shoulder, he instantly recognized Casey and flicked a switch for the door to swing open. "I guess I have my work cut out for me today." Don muttered under his breath as he continued to type away.

Clanging of heavy steps echoed into the room, almost grinding his nerves. Instead of complaining, he quickly shut the noise out, concentrating at the task at hand. The smell of pepperoni drifted into his nose, making his stomach lurch in hunger.

Letting out a groan of agitation, he quickly swung the chair to face the hallway. "Casey, I thought I told you, no food in the computer room. After you and Mikey spilled cola all on the keyboards, I banned it." As he lectured, he folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at the young adult.

Casey exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Dude, relax. I knew you were in here and the food's getting' cold." Then quickly glancing at the box in his hands, he asked "Have you even eaten yet?"

Knowing that it was a waste of time to argue, Don waved his hand and turned back towards the computer. "No, I've been busy. Leo and Karai left a huge mess for me to clean." His voice held frustration as he continued to type away.

"Ah man, that sucks. Let me guess, it's gonna be one of those _takes hours_ deal?" Cocking an eyebrow, he asked the agitated turtle.

Donnie sighed. "Yeah, pretty much. Might as well pull out a chair, since I'm going to have to eat as I work."

Without another word, Casey pulled a swivel chair out of the front right corner, and dragged it next to the turtle. His eyes glued onto the screen. Even though he wasn't always bright, after spending some time with Donnie, he managed to learn a few things. He instantly recognized that he was hacking into every news and social media outlets that existed.

"Dude, that's gotta be rough." He commented as he opened the pizza box in his lap.

The smell of fresh pizza hit Don, and he instantly reached out for a slice without even glancing over. "It's not so bad…just time consuming."

Casey laughed as he bit into the gooey pizza. "Ya' always have time."

His comment struck a nerve. After downing the last few bites of his slice, Donnie whipped his head and his eyes flashed with anger. "Well, I'd rather be using my time to be productive, which this is not." Without waiting for his reply, he snapped his attention back at the screen.

Shrugging it off, the vigilante grabbed another slice. "Well, if you hate it so much…then why do you do it?"

After his comment, he noticed Donnie become stiff. Instantly regretting that he even asked that, Casey watched as the turtle clenched his bandaged hands and stared down at them. His thick muscles in his arms trembled ever so slightly. Then in a somber voice he responded "Because I don't want _her _to find any of you. I do everything in my power to make sure she _never_ lays a hand on any of us."

In an instant, Donnie's mind flashed back into the past, and her pale face gleamed at him menacingly. At the mental image, his face twisted in loathing and he flashed his eyes open. Casey eyed him carefully, making sure that he was alright. All of his muscles were ready, just in case of an episode.

There were times Don would break down and things would easily trigger it. As time went on, he became better at controlling it and Casey always had his back, even though he could easily get overpowered. He never understood who "her" was, since the turtle never would speak about his experience. Everything he knew was based off of watching him for the last eighteen months and listening to his uncontrolled mutters.

Seeing that Casey was concerned, Don offered a weak smile. "I'm okay, so don't give me that look. Just eat your pizza."

His friend returned the smile and bit into his pizza. But, something else tugged at his mind. "Hey Don, I've been meanin' to ask." His tone dropped pretty low and his enthusiasm seeped away.

Knowing the tone, Donnie instantly knew. "Yeah, well I know what you're going to ask. Sorry, Casey…I'm not sure where he is right now. All I know it's probably in the woods somewhere, since it's been about three weeks since I've gotten any sightings of him."

Casey's eyes shifted down to the pizza. "Ah, okay. Do ya think he's alright?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. The longest I've ever lost track of him was about five weeks, and then he turned up in a city somewhere. He's strong, so he can take care of himself." Using a comforting tone, Donnie replied as he typed away.

"Alright. Thanks, man." A sigh of relief escaped him as he finished his current slice.

"Mhm."

Donnie knew Casey had every right to be concerned. Raph suddenly ran off and didn't say a word to his bestfriend. It really devastated him, and once he found out about Don's hiding place after stumbling across Mikey entering, he would often visit him. At first it was awkward for the both of them, but they learned to see past their differences and found things to bond over.

After getting his fill, Casey lifted the empty box. "Well, I'm gonna go chill out in the lounge. Call me if ya need me."

"Mhm."He hummed out once more, since he didn't want to look away from the screen. Currently, he was in the process of completely wiping some codes. However, he felt a twinge of regret for shrugging off his friend. Even though he went out of his way to do something for him. "Ah, I'll thank him later. I got to put Leo's safety first."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So this was pretty much a time skip, and this shows how they all drifted apart. However, family is family and they all care about each other, even if things aren't the best. I feel like this fic has probably been my most difficult to write, but at the same time it's the one I'm having the most fun writing. I can't thank you all enough for supporting me and following me this far. If you have any comments, feel free to leave reviews or PM me. I appreciate all feedback. I'll try to get the next update out as soon as I can!  
**


	9. Chapter 9: Side Project

Staring into the mirror before him, Donnie inhaled deeply. His eyes were locked onto their reflection and even in the darkness, he could see the reddish hues that resides in his large irises. Then easing them shut, he leaned over the large metal sink and turned on the water. The sounds of the rushing water filled his ears, making him visualize himself drowning in a stream of thoughts.

His muscles in his arms tensed up and he felt a very familiar stab shoot up them. A forced smile crept onto his face as he let out a bitter laugh. "Even to this day…"

He then took his bandaged hands and cupped them underneath the cascading water till a small pool formed. Dipping his head forward, he splashed his face and began to scrub. The cool water felt refreshing to his dry skin and he felt some energy seep back into him. Once he was satisfied, he used the base of his arm to wipe the rest of the droplets from his eyes.

When he lifted his head back up, he met his reflection and his gaze shifted towards the scar across his left cheek. "That's never going to fade." He whispered lightly.

Leaning back, his eyes trailed downwards till they reached the top of his plastron. The cuts in his shell still remained where _she_ had sawed into him. Even though he healed, the cuts never fully closed, leaving him all marked up.

As he looked at the jagged diagonal cut, he clenched his jaw. Tension built up inside of him as replayed the incident over and over. He wasn't quite sure how long he was standing there, but by the time he realized, it was long enough and his body was trembling.

Slapping himself slightly in the face, he sighed. "Well, I have better things to do instead of being vain."

Instantly, the corners of his lips twitched. His comment stuck as odd to him, since he was never truly vain. However, whenever he saw his body, he became disgusted at the sight of his mutilation. Turning away from the mirror, he made his way to the bathroom door. The farther away from the mirror he was, the better. Easing the door open, he stepped through and pressed it closed behind him. "Might as well go work on the computers before I do anything stupid."

* * *

With his feet dangling on the edge of the roof, Leo sighed out as he stared down at the world below. The wind tugged at the tails of his blue mask and trailed along his green skin. His indigo eyes reflected the street lamps. It was a quiet night, but at least he wasn't spending it alone.

Tearing his eyes away from the empty streets, he focused his gaze on his companion. Karai's face was expressionless and he wondered what she was thinking. With a smirk on his face, he lifted his hand and clasped her left shoulder.

"It's a slow night, so maybe the city doesn't need a hero tonight." His facials were soft as he spoke to her in low tone.

She glanced at his hand and back towards his face. Shrugging, she tilted her head and replied "Well, I didn't see any heroes anyway." Her voice held a teasing tone as she pushed his hand off her.

Leo laughed at her sarcasm and he stretched his arms over his head. His muscles instantly relaxed and a heavy breath of relief passed his lips. "Well, thanks for keeping me company." He said as he rolled his shoulders.

A soft chuckle passed her lips and she gathered to her feet. "Yeah, no problem. Though, you should quit this whole _loner_ thing. It doesn't suit you too well." She then paused for a moment and a frown formed on her face. "Someday, you should return home and see father. He misses you, you know?"

Within a split second his soft smile turned into a hardened line. "You know I can never go back. Karai, I failed him. I couldn't be the leader that I wanted to be or what he had hoped me to be." His voice held a tone of despair as he burrowed his face into his hands.

"That's nonsense. I mean, yeah you did abandon your brothers, but-"

"Karai, that's enough!" He didn't want to hear the rest of her statement and then continued. "Besides, being a leader was too straining. No one listened or appreciated me, so being on my own was the best decision." Then hoisting himself upwards, he planted his feet on the roof and glared at her. "Just go home. I'm done for tonight."

Anger flashed in her eyes at his attitude and she scoffed. "Fine. Go ahead and throw your little hissy fit. I'm out of here." Then she turned her back to him and sprinted off.

Leo turned away from the direction she went off too and clenched his jaw. A mixture of emotions was flooding the pit of his stomach and his head felt heavy. "Great, piss of the girl why don't you... Very gentlemen like."

Sighing, he wiped his face and looked down towards his legs. He clenched the muscles and relaxed his mind. "Your leg is fine, just remember that." He told himself silently as he dashed off, heading to wherever his legs decided to take him.

* * *

Donnie clacked away at his keyboard. Fatigue was clinging to him, but he didn't want to sleep. All he wanted to do was finish his project that he had been working on the side. "I'm so glad Mikey didn't tamper with this when he got on here." He muttered under his breath.

The program was very delicate and he had big plans. Even though he was close to Casey and Mikey, he didn't dare breathe a word of it to them. In fact, he worked better in the shadows as he quickly discovered.

Using his skills in programming, he put together the most deadly thing that ever came to existence to the electrical world. A huge mischievous grin spread across his face as he typed in some more codes. "Oh man, when my baby hits they won't even have the ability to recover. This will knock them back for months at least! Who knows, maybe a year!"

A gruesome chuckle escaped his lips. Even though he was in hiding, he never stopped fighting like the rest of them thought. Time flew by as he absorbed himself in his work and within hours he had completed it.

His reddish-brown eyes gleamed with delight as scooted closer to the screen. "Finally, the virus is done. Now let's crash her system."

Pulling up a few more screens, he quickly entered a few pass-codes and a loading screen appeared. "Wreaking mayhem on the government in 3…2…1!" Shouting out the last digit, Donnie pressed enter. A triumphant cry erupted from his mouth as he hoisted himself to his feet.

"This is only the beginning, Rook. I won't stop until you're completely ruined." He held a sneer as he spoke.

Within moments, a memory crept back into his mind. The way she looked down on him as he was bound burned into him, causing him to clench his jaw. He hated her and everything about her. "There wasn't any ounce of humanity in her and my humanity is starting to slip as well." He stared down at his bandaged hands and spoke to himself weakly.

Suddenly, a series of beeping filled the room and Donnie shifted his head towards the back corner. "Oh?" Cocking his head to the side, he whispered.

Taking a few steps over towards his monitoring system, he slid into the swivel chair. With a few clicks of the keyboard, he brought up the window with the alert. His brows furrowed and he cupped his chin. "That's him alright."

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. Donnie's face held a frown as he pondered for a few moments. Easing his head towards the hall, he suddenly smirked and got to his feet. "He'd be happy to know who's back."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. I apologize for how short it is, but this is just setting up for next phase of the story. I'm also sorry for how long it took me to update. I had another fic to work on, plus I had some issues, as well as dealing with a cold and school. However, I'll try to get the next installment out as soon as I can. I can't thank you all enough for following me this far! Feel free to leave feedback, I appreciate it! ^.^  
**


	10. Chapter 10: News

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I managed to get the next installment out sooner than I originally thought. I just want to say thank you for following the story so far. As I've said before, this has been a great learning experience. Well, happy reading ^.^**

* * *

"Home, sweet home."

Standing on a water tower, a young mutant turtle soaked up the scene before him. New York City was a very familiar place to him. Everything from the sounds of cars to the smell of the fog, it just struck as _home_ to him. "Well, I'm not actually home yet…but close to it." He mused.

Folding his arms across his plastron, he felt the air brush against his dark green skin. He had been to many places, but this was the place that made him truly happy. Once he got his fill of the surroundings, he climbed down and made his way to the nearby dark alley.

Suddenly before he could leap down, his senses alerted him. Lifting his hand up, he caught a small object as it whizzed past his head. A smug smile crept onto his face and his emerald green eyes twinkled. As he opened his large hand to see the object, he instantly recognized the small dark puck.

"Heh."

Then a familiar voice sounded and he turned his attention down into the end of the alley. Standing tall on his two feet, he raised the puck above his head and waved it in the air. "Casey, your aim is off! What have you been doing? Slackin'?"

The vigilante grinded his teeth together in annoyance. "I'll show you how off my aim is, Raph!" He called out to the turtle above.

Instantly, he pulled out another puck and used his stick to swat it into the air. Raph couldn't help but chuckle as he dodged it with ease. Then cracking his neck, he jumped down before Casey could draw another. "Calm down, man. How'd you know I was here anyways?" Raising both arms into the air, he signaled for his friend to cool.

However, Casey rolled his eyes and eased his hockey stick behind his back. "Don told me you were back. But man…I got a bone ta' pick with ya'!"

"See, this is why I wanted to head home first. I didn't wanna' deal with this right now." Raph silently grumbled under his breath. Even though Raph wanted to just turn away and leave, he knew his ill-tempered friend wouldn't let him do that.

A heavy breath passed his lips and rubbed his right arm. Casey took his silence as a cue to keep going. "I mean, you freaking ditched. You just left without telling anyone. Heck, I'm your best friend and your bros needed you and ya' just ran away. You've been gone for nearly two years without a word!" Pacing, Casey thrashed his arms around in the air as he ranted.

Taking both of his hands, Raph wiped his face and shrugged. "Look Casey, I had some things to figure out. I'm back now and I'm sure I can patch it up with my brothers." In a heavy voice, he replied.

At Raph's reply Casey stopped in his tracks and threw a glare. "I doubt that. Leo does his own thing and Donnie won't come out of his hideout. Mikey and I are the only ones who look after him."

After Donnie's name was mentioned, the turtles face became sullen. His eyelids drooped and he eyed the darkened ground. "So how is Don anyways?"

His friend dropped the glare and made his way over to him. Raph felt his hand rest on his shoulder and it took all his willpower to not flinch. He badly wanted to know how his little brother was doing, and he thought of him often while he was away.

"He's alright. Sure, he's a bit screwed up in the head, but he's always been a little weird if you ask me." Pausing for a moment, he rubbed his chin before continuing. "If you want, I can take ya' to him."

Raph looked up and saw that his best friend was giving him a comforting smile. His mood brightened a bit after hearing Casey's offer. "Sure man, I would love to see how my baby bro is." Giving him a cheeky smile, he nudged him with his other elbow.

Within a split second, the vigilante dipped his head and bounded off towards the direction of the abandoned warehouse. Raph relaxed his muscles and climbed up the fire escape. Once both feet were planted on the top of the grimy old building, he brought up some energy and tailed Casey from above. They ran for a good fifteen minutes, before his friend skidded to a halt.

"This is far out from the lair…no wonder, but why a warehouse of all things?" In a curious tone he asked himself as he dropped down to the street below.

Taking careful steps, Raph followed his friend close behind as they made their way to the side entrance. His eyes trailed along the broken glass everywhere and the amount of dust that piled on everything. "Dude, are you sure Donnie's here?" Eyeing everything around them, Raph asked with a skeptic look on his face.

Casey only grunted and beckoned the turtle to follow. Using his ninja skills, he carefully treaded and made sure not to cut his foot on the mess covering the ground. When Casey stopped in front of the wall of large wooden crates, he rolled his eyes and watched his friend pitifully pull out one. "Man, you're a wimp. Lemme' get that." Cracking his neck, he pushed Casey aside and tugged on it.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open with shock. "Holy cow, this thing weighs a ton. What the hell are these things filled with?"

A loud obnoxious laugh filled his ears as he felt his friend collapse onto him. Groaning, Raph shoved him off and finished pulling out the crate. After Casey wiped the tears from his eyes, he replied "I dunno' dude. Donnie filled them and I never checked." Then containing a second wave of laughter, he barely could say "You shoulda' seen your face!"

Swiping his hand through the air, he snapped out "Alright, just take me to Don will ya'?"

Immediately, Casey stood up straight and slipped through the gap in the wall. "Fine, bro." Then lifting his hand, he motioned for Raph to come inside the darkened area. At once, Raph followed and walked behind him down a series of stairs.

His eyes soon readjusted and watched Casey slam on a large button in the wall. Suddenly a large buzz sounded, which caused Raph to jerk where he stood. All of his muscles tensed up in anticipation as a large metal door swung open.

Keeping his eyes peeled in the blue lit complex, he followed Casey down a long hallway. He could hear their footsteps bouncing off all the surfaces of the walls. "Now I see why he picked this place." Raph muttered under his breath.

Soon he could see a warmer light seeping in from the exit and he felt a bit of anxiety bubble inside him. "This will be the first time I see him in two years." He thought to himself as he shifted through his feelings.

"Hey, Don!" Lifting his hand up to his mouth, Casey called out.

The sudden shout made Raph cringe. However, when he stepped out into the open space, he saw that it looked quite comfortable in there. In fact, it looked more comfortable than the living room of their old liar. In the center there was a large TV planted in front of a long grey couch. A pool table on the left side of the room had many balls scattered on its surface, and there were a few arcade systems lining the other wall.

His eyes trailed along the walls and saw there were a few doors. "How big is this place anyways?" Raph asked in awe. Before Casey could answer his question, a door to the right swung open.

Darting his eyes to the open door, he watched a large figure ease out passed the frame. "Ugh, what is it Casey? I finally managed to go to sleep." In a low groggy voice, Donnie stated. Dark bags hung under his eyes and he was holding his hand up to shield them from the light.

Raph felt a mixture of things. In fact, he couldn't tell what to feel at the moment, so he stood there quietly. Casey nudged him and said "Look who's here ta' see ya'."

Donnie wiped his face and stepped further out of his room. "Ugh, hey Raph." Still trying to fight off the sleepiness, he said as a greeting.

At the sound of his brother's fatigued voice, Raph's stomach lurched. His eyes trailed every detail and noticed all his scars. He knew his brother probably kept the arms bandaged to hide the mutilation to his arms. However, there was one detail that greatly surprised him about his dorky little brother.

Forcing a smile, he folded his arms and tilted his head. "Hey Donnie, nice to see ya'."

"Nice to see you as well, I guess." A yawn escaped his little brother's throat as he replied.

Catching a bit of Donnie's sarcasm, Raph decided to throw out a bit of his own attitude. "Well, how ya' doing? Seems like you bulked up a bit since I last saw you. If my memory is correct, you used to be a lot scrawnier." The corners of his mouth twitched as he spoke. He wasn't lying; after all, Donnie was always the tall thin one in the family.

Now that he was fully awake, Donnie rolled his shoulders and gave a cocky smile. "Yeah, I pretty much work with weights now in my training routine. I have to release extra tension somehow, so the side effects have been pretty pleasing." Motioning to his thicker muscles, the taller turtle replied with a gleam in his eyes.

Then he noticed his brother's eyes locked onto his arm and he braced himself. Donnie's eyes squinted a bit as he held a puzzling look. "Raph, it looks like you were mauled by a bear."

Immediately, the shorter turtle glanced down at his muscular arm and legs. Right on his right shoulder there was a giant scar in the shape of a bear claw. Scattered throughout the limbs, he had other raised scars in the form of cuts, but the claw marks were the most prominent. Smirking, Raph tilted his shoulder forward and replied casually "That's because I did get mauled by a bear. I pissed it off on accident and I had to fight it off."

The explanation made Don cup his face and shake his head as he held an unamused look. However, Raph stood proudly and pointed at it with his large thumb. "I think it looks wicked!" His eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as he exclaimed mightily

Sighing, his brother shrugged. "I'm sure you do." Then he folded his arms and stood for a moment. Raph just stared blankly at him, wondering what to say next. Casey was staring at his shoulder with awe, still speechless. He was about to say something to his friend, but Donnie then motioned for his guests to sit. "Well, I'm sure you aren't here to just say hello. Might as well make yourself comfortable."

Dipping his head forward, the hotheaded turtle released a grunt of acceptance and settled on the end of the cushiony seat. Casey plopped down next to him, causing Raph to shift. After the two were settled, Donnie disappeared into his room and returned with a wooden chair. Then he settled beside the television, staring at his brother.

"So Raph, what did you want to talk about?"

Resting his arms on his legs, Raph leaned forward and stared into his reddish-brown eyes. If Casey's words from earlier were indeed true, he needed to be filled in on many things. Inhaling deeply, he relaxed and said "I want to know what went on while I was gone."

* * *

It was quiet inside of the lair. Mikey sat at the kitchen table with Ice Cream Kitty sitting in front of him. A heavy breath passed his lips as he leaned back in his seat.

"Kitty, it's too quiet in here." Staring up at the ceiling, he groaned.

She gave a mew in response and inched closer to him. Her arms waved around enthusiastically, trying to cheer him up.

A smile crept onto his lips and he sat up straight. Then reaching an arm out, he stroked her cheek and ice cream dribbled down his large finger. His blue eyes brightened and he gave it a quick lick. "At least I have you." Giving her a smile, he placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

His eyes trailed along the dimly lit kitchen. Morning was almost here and around this time, his brothers would have been waking up for their morning practice. The issue was that those days were long gone. Master Splinter still trained and meditated with Mikey and Karai, but it never felt the same. Even April rarely came down here anymore.

Easing his eyes shut, he recalled some fonder memories. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Flicking his eyes back open, he watched Karai pace outside of the kitchen. Her face twisted with annoyance and a few huffs would pass her lips.

"Uh oh."

Taking a gulp, Mikey slid out of his chair and scooped up Ice Cream Kitty. She cried in protest, because she knew that it was time to be put up. "Sorry Kitty, but it's almost time for practice. I'll play with you later, 'kay?" He gave her an apologetic look as he tried to comfort her.

In response, she licked his cheek and gave a soft purr. Mikey felt better and eased her into the freezer. "See you later." In a sweet voice, he told her as he shut the door.

Now that his friend was put away, he braced himself as he walked over to the kitchen entrance. Karai was still wrapped in her silent fury, but he knew if she let it out now, it would save him from bruises later on. Once he reached the doorway, he stood firmly on his feet and rubbed his right arm.

"Something the matter?" In a low uncertain tone, he asked.

Instantly, Karai stomped on one foot and pivoted in his direction. She folded her arms and her hair swooshed through the air. "Why would you think that, Michelangelo?" Karai asked through a clenched jaw.

"Yep, she's mad." He silently noted.

Then inhaling deeply, he thought very carefully on how to handle this. Karai was never really a hothead, but on the occasion she was angry, he had to be careful with how he spoke. Unlike the times he pissed off Raph, Karai knew all his pressure points and could easily have him on the ground in two seconds flat. Funny thing was that she didn't get this angry unless it involved Leo.

Deciding how he wanted to word it, he lifted his hand up and gave her a peaceful smile. "No real reason. It seemed like you were really energetic. Excited for practice?" His smile became a cheesy one as he eased the hand behind his head.

Like a work of magic, her facials softened and her stance relaxed. There was still anger residing in her eyes, but at least Mikey felt the danger passed. Tilting her head to the side, she scoffed "You can be pretty cheesy...but no, I'm not excited for practice. I was up all night with your idiotic brother."

Just as his intuition told him, Leo was the source for her current mood. "Ah, guess he messed up?" His face showed how awkward he felt by the way he raised his brows.

"Not really, just throwing a little tantrum. I swear, he's not the same person he used to be." Her eyes trailed the concrete floor as she shifted her weight. Her voice sounded a bit disappointed, but she decided not to let her face show it.

Mikey knew better, and he could tell that they had a fight. Stepping forward, he wrapped a hand around her and patted her back. Using a soft voice, he replied "I know he's not. None of us are." His own voice was threatening to crack on him.

He didn't want to spend the morning moping, so instead he stood up straight and looked straight at his sister. "Well, let's go to practice…Sensei is waiting I think."

"Yeah, let's not keep father waiting."

* * *

Leo replayed the argument in his mind once more. Every time he recalled his words, he would clench his fists a little tighter. His knuckles were a pale green from all the force. He felt like a jerk for acting the way he did with the one girl he truly loves and cares for. However, his words were exactly how he felt.

"Not a single day has gone by where I don't regret some of the things that happened." In frustration, he uttered quietly. "But, it's not my problem anymore…It just became too straining. I could feel myself mentally wearing down after being their strict leader for _years_." His voice started to rise as he continued to speak to himself.

He sat on a bench in a dark area of the local park. During his two years of wandering the city, the park was always his favorite place to meditate. Only this time, he couldn't keep his thoughts still. Deciding that he should just move to keep his mind off things, he got up and traveled underneath all the dark areas of the trees. Once he was out of the park, he glanced upwards towards the sky. Pink and orange streaks started tearing through the darkness, letting him know sunlight was approaching. Sighing, he rolled his neck and bounded off towards his home.

With each passing minute, more light seeped in between the buildings. Cars were beeping their horns, showing that morning traffic had picked up. "I'll probably feel better after I sleep it off." Still in a foul mood, he thought to himself.

Soon he found himself standing on top of a condemned building. All of the windows were boarded up and there was a large enough hole in the roof for him to slip through. Cracks lined the walls and floors creaked with each step, threatening to give way. When he first found this place, there was dust and dirt everywhere, but he saw to that.

No one ever came into the building. It was located in a poor, crime ridden area, but after someone got hurt, people assumed it was haunted. The very memory made Leo chuckle as he made his way to his bedroom.

Inside his room, there was a bit of light seeping in from the cracks in the board and in the far left corner, there were blue sleeping bags lined up together. The sleeping bags were stuffed with old pillows, which Leo found to be pretty comfortable. Settling down onto his makeshift bed, he thought about his recent adventures throughout the past week. His indigo eyes trailed the giant gaps in the wood above him, and his mind was consumed with thoughts of Karai. "I need to apologize to her."

When it became too hard for him to sleep, he leaned up and turned to the radio a few feet away. Reaching out his arm, he flicked it on and listened to the static voices. Quickly, he turned it to the news station and settled back down into the mats.

"There's a crisis in the government science buildings here in New York City. Many of the computers and systems have all crashed. Every single data that was collected in important scientific experiments have been destroyed. I'm getting word that it was caused by a new form of virus, a new complex creation."

Leo's eyes widen at the sound of the female news reporters voice. His stomach lurched and he sat back up. This was something that sounded all too familiar to him while his eyes locked onto the radio in anticipation.

"It is believed that this was a cyber-terrorist attack; one of the few that has occurred within the last year. If anyone has any information on the new virus, authorities are strongly urging for you to step forward. I'll keep you updated, back to you, John."

A groan escaped Leo's throat as the rest of the news became just a babble of noises. Nothing else was registering in his mind, since he was too focused on his own thoughts. There was only one force that he knew of that was strong enough to take out every computer in a government's facility.

Rubbing his cheek, he threw himself back into the bed and closed his eyes. "Donnie, what are you doing?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will admit the hardest part about writing this fic is telling it in different views. It's a challenge to show how different they are as adults and how they all live differently. However, it has been a fun challenge and I can honestly say this is my favorite fic I've written to date. I can't thank you all enough for following along and supporting me. It really means a lot to me. Like always, feel free to leave feed back. I always appreciate the things my readers do ^.^  
**


	11. Chapter 11: Agitation

Once fully rested, Leo made his way to the top of his home. The cool air felt refreshing, and the sky above was cloudless. It was time for his daily patrol, and where he lived, crime was a constant thing for him. He inhaled deeply as he stretched his arms out forward.

"Well, time to pull some weeds." With a confident smile, he stated.

Then in a sudden motion, he lifted his feet and began to make his way through the neighborhood. The sounds of kids shouting and playing in the streets filled the air. Even late at night, they still were active. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of disturbance, but as he made his way to the edge of the area, he noticed it was rather calm.

A sigh passed his lips and he shook his head. "I guess I'll have to come back later. There's always something going on here." He mumbled to himself.

As soon as he reached the top of the florist, he skidded to a halt. Normally, Karai would be there waiting for him, but as he glanced around, he saw it was deserted. Feelings of disappointment welled up inside of him, and he folded his arms across his plastron. He decided to wait to see if she would show. After twenty minutes had passed, he knew she wasn't coming.

"I guess she's with Mikey and Sensei tonight. Honestly, I don't blame her." In a low tone, he said to himself. Then looking up at the cloudless sky, he rolled his shoulders. "Well, the city still needs a hero."

Just as he was about to move, he heard a loud crash in the distance. It was as if some otherworldly force heard him, because the timing was extraordinary. He readied his muscles, and then with a burst of energy, he dashed off to where the disturbance was taking place. An antique shop was being broken into. Leo smirked and climbed down into the dark alley next to it.

Peering around the corner, he glanced in through the broken window. His eyes went wide and he let out a small gasp. "Oh shell…"

Inside, April was in the middle of fighting off two robbers. They both were significantly bigger than her, but she held her own. As one came up behind her to bash her head, she ducked and elbowed him hard. The large burly guy dropped down, hurdled over in pain. The other one pulled out a knife and was about to strike.

Leo decided he saw enough, so he made his way inside and stuck to the shadows. Before the blade could even swipe the air, he knocked out the bearer with the force of his fist. The robber fell to the ground, landing on the thousands of glass shards.

Then as the other one gathered to his feet, Leo quickly dispatched him. He fell on top of his partner, out cold. All of this had been done in the shadows, and just as he was about to leave, he felt a strong grip jerk his arm. "Man…I've been caught." He mumbled under his breath.

"Leo, what are you doing here? I had this taken care of!" April hissed out.

Turning to face her, Leo held a cocky smirk. "I could ask you the same. I didn't think you would use Sensei's training to become a vigilante like Casey."

Fury flashed in her blue eyes. "Excuse me, but I happen to work here. If anyone's playing vigilante, it's you."

Leo was taken aback. Then with a curious face, he leaned back and pointed at her. "Wait, you work here? Why?"

She let go of him and placed her hands on her hips, looking unamused. "Well, I'm almost twenty-two and I need a source of income."

Now Leo's face flushed; he felt a bit embarrassed for being rude earlier. He glanced down at the robbers sprawled out on top of the broken glass. Then sighing, he returned his attention to her. "Ah…well, sorry. Anyways, do whatever you want with these two. Later!"

Before she could even open her mouth, he leapt out the window and skillfully climbed up the fire escape. He wasn't in the mood to speak to her, and didn't want to deal with the tension. They hadn't spoken in a long while, and last time it didn't end on such good terms.

Once he was a good distance from the shop, he collapsed onto a wall of an alley with full of graffiti. There were things tugging at him, and lately he felt empty. As he leaned up on the wall facing out towards the empty street, he felt a familiar throb in his leg.

He jerked his hands to grip his shin, and he scrunched his face. Taking deep breaths, he tried to relax. "Remember, it's all in your head. Stay calm, Leo." He attempted to ease himself in a whisper.

In the middle of trying to keep it together, he saw a black flash pass the alley. His instincts screamed at him to get up and tail it. Gathering to his feet, Leo sped off in the direction of the vehicles. As soon as it came into view, he saw two large black vans. Both of them were plateless.

He trailed the vehicles with the pain in his leg long forgotten. The distance between them was growing, and his frustration only increased. "I haven't seen vehicles like these since that time!" He noted to himself.

Leo watched as they turned a corner to the dark back streets. When he reached the edge he didn't even brace himself as he jumped down to the ground. Pain shot up his leg, causing him to gasp out. He shrugged it off and kept running. For all he knew, one of his brothers could have been in one of those vans.

"This probably has something to do with Donnie's stupid stunt. Now he put us all in danger!" Gritting his teeth, he thought to himself.

The vans went out of his view as he wove his way around the streets. When he skidded around a corner, they were gone and a sharp whistle could be heard in the distance. He scrapped the ground with his feet while he stared off into the distance.

"Great…I was too slow. All I can do now is keep an eye out for them and take extra precautions."

* * *

Raph stared out the broken glass window, his face twisted with different expressions. He was about to leave Donnie's lair after spending a day there. It was mainly because he wanted to make sure his younger brother was alright and what his new lifestyle was like. Many emotions held onto him, weighing him down after he returning back to the city. All he wanted to do was go home, but there was one person he had to see first.

"_Just follow the sounds of sirens or cries for help…That's a good way to find him."_

When Raph wanted to know what Leo had been up to and where he could be found, Casey basically shrugged. He wasn't surprised that his older brother took up the whole hero charade, but he also felt disappointment. Then again, he couldn't say anything because he was just as guilty.

"Well, guess I should follow Casey's advice." He grumbled.

Carefully, he stepped out of the warehouse and headed towards the center of the city. It was late, but crime never slept. As he passed stores and apartments, he heard sirens off in the distance. "Well, whaddya' know." He chuckled to himself as he picked up the pace.

Blue and red lights flashed, which illuminated the street surrounding an antique shop. There was glass everywhere, and cops were shoving two guys into their cars. Raph squinted and saw April standing by, watching the two officers.

"Perfect." In a pleased tone, he stated with a cheeky smile.

He figured April might know something about Leo, and he hadn't seen her in a long time, so he made his way down to make a visit. From the shadows he whispered her name.

"April."

She spun on her heel to face his direction. Pure shock spread had across her face, and she leaned forward. "Is that who I think it is?"

Raphael chuckled. Lifting up his hand, he beckoned her into the darkened alley. "If you think its Donnie, then you would be wrong. But…if you were hoping for me, then you're spot on."

She burrowed her face into her hands and stepped further into the shadows. "Oh Raph…"

He flung his arm upwards and wrapped it around her shoulder. "It's nice to see ya', April." There was a bit of light shining in his emerald green eyes.

April shifted and hugged him. "It's nice to see you too." Then she pulled away from him and held a stern frown. "You've been gone for a long time. Where have you been?"

"Not you too…" Rolling his eyes, he groaned.

When he had decided to come back to the city, he was prepared for all the interrogations that he knew were going to come. However, after being drilled by Casey in the last day, he was already sick of it. Raph backed away and braced himself for anything else she was going to say.

Instead of grilling him, she cocked an eyebrow and shifted her weight. "I take it you've already run into the others?"

Raph let her go and looked up towards the sky. "I've met with Casey and Donnie…I was actually looking for Leo." His voice trailed off as he thought about his brothers.

She sighed and turned her back to him. "Well, he was here earlier. He's the one who took out the robbers, but he high-tailed immediately afterwards."

"So he was here! Man, if only I had left Don's sooner. Do ya' know where he is or could you help me find him?" Raph's eagerness caused his voice to pitch upwards.

April lifted an arm and replied. "He left in this direction, but I can't help you find him. The police still want to talk to me and I'm waiting on my boss to arrive." She paused as she heard her name from around the corner. Then she bit into her lower lip and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry Raph, but I gotta' go."

"Alright, thanks April."

He dipped his head and climbed up the fire escape. There was determination shining in his emerald green eyes as he kept a lookout for his brother. All he needed to do was find where crime was happening while hoping that the trail didn't run cold.

* * *

Leo was swimming in his thoughts as he walked through the familiar back streets. There wasn't any lighting, so his presence was well hidden. His feet walked towards the neighborhood, but he stared off into space, not even caring.

The vehicles concerned him and part of him wanted to go back to the lair to see if his brothers' were alright. He didn't know where Donnie's hideout was, but he was positive that he was safe. It was mainly Mikey he was concerned about. He couldn't pick up his T-Phone and call him because he threw the phone away. After Don called him and complained about his actions often, Leo got sick of it.

"Man, do I regret doing that…Maybe I should check the lair…but I don't want to go back." There was conflict brewing inside of him as he debated to himself.

As more self-doubt rose to the surface, the more the more intense the throbbing in his leg became. His indigo blue eyes pierced his leg with anger, and he huffed out a heavy breath.

"You're fine, Leo…the leg healed. You're just imagining the pain because everything else hurts too much."

He wiped his face and shrugged. "If anyone had been captured, they would be running all over the city looking for them. I'm just being a worry wart."

Suddenly, he felt his skin crawl. It was the same sensation he felt whenever someone was watching him. In response, he eased out one of his weapons and held it close. Then he shifted his weight and turned to face the spectator.

He nearly dropped his sword at the sight. Standing on the edge of the building above him was his younger hotheaded brother. Narrowing his eyes, he formed a hard frown and stood tall. "Raph…"

"Hey Leo, out on a lonely stroll?"

Scoffing, he gripped the hilt even tighter. "It's been awhile, but I see that you're still a sarcastic jerk."

The sound of chuckling echoed through the air as Raph landed directly in front of him. Keeping up a guard, Leo backed away slightly and stared at him. He wasn't quite sure what to feel, but he definitely wasn't happy.

"So I heard you had a busy night. Mind if I join ya'? The two of us could go back to the lair and catch up."

This time, there was an ominous gleam in his indigo colored eyes. "Nah Raph, I'm not going anywhere with you. After you left me on the ground like that, I decided I had enough of playing leader. I no longer have anything to do with you or our brothers."

Raph stiffened and threw a glare. "Are you still angry over that petty shit? You would think that I would be the one to hold a grudge…man, they were right…you have changed."

Honestly, Leo knew that he shouldn't be arguing, but there was something inside of him that wouldn't shut off. There was a ton of hidden anger and frustration that he had locked away. However, he didn't want to deal with any of it right now, so he turned his back and eased the katana back into its sheath.

"Whatever Raph, I have things I have to do, so just go home."

"Hah! For someone that doesn't want to play leader, you sure give orders like one." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Remember, you aren't my leader anymore, so I don't gotta' follow that."Raph folded his arms and snickered. He wasn't taking any of this seriously.

Leo twitched the corner of his lips in annoyance, and he lowered his eyelids. He didn't want to give in by responding, so he picked up his feet and climbed up a building. His younger brother followed behind closely.

After a few minutes of the younger turtle following him in silence, Leo had enough. "What do you want from me?" He huffed out as he threw a glare over his shoulder.

"I want you to pick your responsibilities back up. I haven't even seen everyone, but after looking at Donnie, I know things aren't right. He's your little brother and you abandoned him after all that had happened!" He held a stern tone as he pointed at the blue masked turtle.

The older brother stopped in his tracks and felt his every muscle tremble. Anger seeped out from his pores and fire burned in his eyes. Not even ten minutes had passed since his meeting with his brother, and he felt like he was about to snap.

Struggling to contain himself, he slowly turned to look Raph directly in the eyes. "That's rich...The funny thing is that you left the city. Didn't you abandon him as well? You don't have the right to be lecturing me." His voice quivered and he inhaled deeply. "Now get out of my sight!" He barked.

Raph didn't budge an inch. Awkward silence filled the air as the two of them locked eyes, rage burning in each. Finally, Raph gritted his teeth and looked away. Leo got his answer, and smirked. He didn't utter another word as he watched his younger brother leap over to the other building. In the end, he knew it wasn't going to be the last of him.

"He'll be back to bother me tomorrow"

As he stood for a moment and felt the cool air on his skin, his brother's words sunk in. There was some truth to what he had said, and in a sense, Raph had been right, but at the same time he had also been in the wrong. In the end, Leo felt like the only thing he could do now was figure out how to deal with a new pest problem in addition to his weeding job.

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**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm so sorry for how long it took to update. I had a chapter all written up, but I had to rewrite it due to losing it. This chapter was also longer in length, but I decided to break it. I just felt like there was enough going on in the chapter and I didn't want to overload it.  
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**Also, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read and follow this. All of your support means a lot to me and thank you to everyone who has left a review. I seriously appreciate all the feedback. ^.^**

**Well, I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can and also update Back into the City sometime soon as well. Thanks all :)**


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